Sore ga Ai Deshou
by theClosetPoet7
Summary: Sakura had always known that Uchiha Sasuke was far from her reach. Yet, she had extended her arms and opened up her heart to him even if it meant that he had the power to take it into his hands and crush it. "You have much better things to do than waste your time on me Sakura". Post-War. SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1: Break the Spell

**Disclaimer: **Of course, I don't own Naruto. I wish I did so I can make Sasuke and Sakura end up together. :D

**Sore ga Ai Deshou**

By TheClosetPoet7

Summary: Sakura had always known that Uchiha Sasuke was far from her reach. Yet, she had extended her arms and opened up her heart to him even if it meant that he had the power to take it into his hands and crush it. Post-War. Sasusaku

* * *

_"What if life hands you an apple, displays it in front of you, gives you a little taste, tempts you with it then tells you that you can't have it. Under these circumstances, would you still reach out to the forbidden fruit?"_

Chapter One

**Break the Spell**

Sasuke-kun is back.

In the final fight between Madara and Naruto, he miraculously showed up and together as I knew they would, both my teammates joined forces and defeated the ancient Uchiha. And as always, I watched in the sidelines. I felt the intense fear of losing them, and I've felt the burning hope that they will somehow come out victorious.

"Our story will not have a sad ending," That is what I kept chanting to myself. Our story will not have a sad ending.

Though I've always known that I would never be able to stand equally with them, I wasn't completely useless. I was their back-up, healing various wounds that could've been fatal, breaking grounds to assist them, and throwing punches at various Zetsus that came at me. I stood and watched as they delivered the final blow, and I was right by their side the moment their bodies decided they were too tired to stand and had shut down all together. I was quick to go to their side, summoning the last bit of chakra I had left and tried with all my might to stabilize them.

I was successful. We were successful.

The war was over. We had won. Madara was finally gone. We've claimed our right to live in this world of ninjas. It was thrilling and oh so satisfying. The fields were filled with triumphant shouts and happy tears as teammates patted each other's' backs and loved ones reunited. You can see the intense happiness they felt when they saw each other's faces. I was one of them; it was too good to be true, being reunited with Team 7. Having all of them alive and just breathing was enough to bring tears of joy to my face. And when both my boys regained consciousness and finally looked to me, my heart swelled.

Naruto had this wide grin that reminded me of how I'll always rely on him.

Sasuke-kun had this look of serenity on his face that was much too beautiful to describe.

Kakashi-sensei unfortunately thought it was the right time to take out his Icha-Icha Paradise book and

Sai had a look of relief as he sat down and rested his back against a tree.

I laughed, pumped my fists and yelled out

"Shannaro!"

* * *

I've always had various scenarios in my head depicting how my next meeting with Sasuke-kun would go. One of them involved me helplessly throwing my arms around him and saying "Welcome Home". Another one entailed me to punch the daylights out of him for the pain he has caused us these past few years. What I didn't expect though was his immediate apology for everything he had done and me awkwardly smiling and accepting it. Of course, Naruto was quick to accept his apology while Kakashi-sensei opted to just ruffling his hair and saying,

"I understand."

Suddenly everything was the way it was supposed to be. Team Seven was complete.

* * *

Eight months later

Konoha was on the verge of full recovery. Under Tsunade's rule the village was quick to work on the damage caused by the war. Everyone was in high spirits as the hope that this world will be alright had spread out. The people were looking to their leader to pave the way to the better tomorrow. It was tiresome and just plain boring to Tsunade. How she longed to go to a bar, drink her worries away and gamble. As Hokage, she knew that was out of the question, not when she had too many responsibilities. Just a bit more, she always said to herself. She knew that the time has almost come for her to choose the Sixth Hokage. She didn't need to think much about the person who will be replacing her, after all he had displayed an enormous amount of skill during the war and she knew from previous records that he had and has been a great asset to the village.

Yes, Konoha will be safe in the hands of Hatake Kakashi.

"Tsunade-sama" a voice she had known all too well called out.

"What is it Sakura?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows as she observed her master. She shook her head as she saw that the hokage had a cup of sake on her hand, a dry and wrinkly hand. She sighed. Tsunade was getting old. And she was dying. The war had taken a toll on her. She used up all her reserved chakra and had sustained a great deal of damage internally. After all, with the experience of being cut in half, who would expect anyone to fully recover? But that wasn't the cause of her morbid condition. Her kidneys were failing. Instead of using up her chakra to maintain her youthful appearance she decided to put all her energy into keeping herself alive and fulfilling her duties as the Hokage, her final mission.

"You haven't taken your medication this morning." Sakura spoke softly.

"Hah, I've always known that with Shizune gone, you'll be the one to pester me." A look of sadness passed over the hokage's face as she remembered her first apprentice and how she was found dead on the field. It was such a waste. Shizune was the person she had always known would take care of her once she was on her deathbed. Nevertheless she took the medication and drank it. She looked to Sakura as she wiped the water out of her mouth. A smirk made its way to her lips and Sakura responded with a questioning look on her face.

"And you know you shouldn't be drinking". Sakura added

Tsunade barked in laughter. She looked at her apprentice and a smile full of pride made itself known. Her apprentice had achieved so much at such a young age.

"You have time to reprimand an old woman when you have a hospital to take care of?" She said.

"Oh, right, they'll do without me for a few hours. Make sure to take the medications I have prepared for you Tsunade-sama. I've concocted some herbs that you can drink as a tea which may help. And again, stop drinking. You know how toxic that could be to your condition." Sakura instructed with a serious look on her face.

"Fine, fine, now stop focusing your energy on me Sakura. You know better than to waste your time on a lost cause." Sakura had a look of pure sorrow when she heard those words. But she was quick to recover from it. Tsunade felt the guilt immediately.

"Sorry, forget about what I just said. I would like to know the updates on the condition of that Uchiha's eyes". She shifted the topic.

Sakura had been placed in charge of studying the effects the Mangekyou had on Uchiha Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke had been complaining about his vision and Sakura had placed him on various sessions entailing her to study the condition of his nerves and his blood vessels. She had managed to heal most of the damage but it would take more time for her to fully bring his eyes to pre-Mangekyou status. The sessions were long and tedious but Sasuke had been patient and cooperative with her, only once in a while complaining that she took too much time off her work for him.

_"I'll always have time for you Sasuke-kun" she had said. He had looked at her like she was crazy and shook his head. _

_"Annoying" he replied. _

Sakura sighed as she thought of Uchiha Sasuke. Their relationship didn't mend overnight but it had bothered her how often Sasuke tried to point out that she had much better things to do with her time. He was her teammate after all. Of course she would take some time off to watch over his condition. It had nothing to do with her feelings whatsoever…

Of course it didn't

Oh hell it did, it wasn't shocking to know that as soon as Sasuke was labeled as a friend again her feelings had resurfaced as if she never locked them inside a little box in her heart that said "Don't open unless you're a masochist now". It was hard to ignore the thumping of her heart against her ribcage whenever they were alone and she was healing his eyes. Sasuke was far too beautiful to be a man. He had the body of a shinobi, fit but not too muscular. His onyx eyes took you to places you only dream of. His voice sounded sexy that it sometimes spoke wicked things to her ear in her dreams. Once in a while she would let her own oculars slip down and look over his lips. Sasuke-kun looked like he had soft lips, she often wondered what they would feel like if she were to lean a bit further and….

She had to stop herself. Sasuke was her friend and she shouldn't be having such thoughts… thoughts of holding him... thoughts of kissing him… thoughts of…..

"Sakura?"

"They are improving. Sasuke-kun has been complaining of pain however and I'm still looking into it." She quickly recovered.

"Have you checked the blood supply to his eyes?" the Hokage questioned.

"Hai, there seems to be a bit of swelling at the back. I've made a decoction which might help ease the pain a little. I was on my way to delivering his medications when my instincts told me to see you first"

"Ah, ever the intuitive one. Okay then."

"Oh, and Naruto has been pestering me about whether or not he can come talk to you. He's still not very happy when you sent him a message saying that he would have to wait before he becomes hokage." Sakura wasn't surprised about this development. Naruto was still eighteen years old and far from being mature enough to be hokage. She smiled as she remembered when they went out to Ichiraku's to celebrate Kakashi's promotion.

_"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, you're old and probably too perverted to become hokage. Why don't you step down immediately and give the position to me?" the blonde-haired loud mouth had asked. Sakura choked on her noodles and Sasuke cleared his throat._

_"Naruto! You idiot, you should be happy for Kakashi-sensei, plus you're too young to become hokage". Sakura had pointed out_

_"Stupid dobe" Sasuke muttered_

_"But sensei doesn't really want to become hokage. I bet he'll be much happier ogling women and reading every piece of Ichi-Icha literature". Naruto said with a frown on his face_

_"That's where you're wrong Naruto" Kakashi had decided to interrupt. "I do want to become hokage"_

_Sakura and Sasuke stopped eating and looked towards their sensei. He had never mentioned this before. They never knew he wanted to become hokage._

_"I want to. For Rin and Obito". He added._

_That was enough to silence the team. Kakashi had this look of seriousness on his face. And suddenly, their teacher looked much older than his age. As if he experienced far too much pain than most people did in their lifetime. Maybe losing Obito the second time made him rethink his life's goals._

Sakura frowned at the memory of seeing Obito finally pass. Unlike her, her sensei wasn't lucky enough to be able to reunite with his long lost teammate. That thought alone brought a wave of sadness to her mood.

"Tell Naruto to wait. He'll be hokage soon enough. Make sure to beat him to a pulp the next time he questions my decisions". Sakura sweat dropped when her master spoke. Well, she didn't need to be told to beat up that idiot.

"What has been bothering you? Your mind seems to be elsewhere"

"Gomen shishou, I was just thinking about something. Nothing to worry about. I'll come by later to do your check-up". Sakura turned and left the office.

Tsunade reached for another cup.

"And no sake" Sakura poked her head in the office again.

"Hai, Hai". Tsunade replied.

Tsunade smiled and stretched her arms. She stood and went to her window and looked at her apprentice as she left the building. Sakura had blossomed into a fine, capable young medic. Most people might even say that she has surpassed the Fifth Hokage. Well not completely surpassed. There was still time. She was a great shinobi, proving herself time and time again on the battlefield. She was Konoha's best medic. Of course, Sakura was much too modest to ever agree with those claims. However, she wasn't stupid as to not acknowledge her own strength. Tsunade felt her heart warm up. Haruno Sakura was her legacy to this world. She smiled as she saw her pink-haired apprentice stoop down to talk to a crying child.

Yes. Konaha will be in safe hands.

* * *

_They say that hope over an unrequited love is the most painful kind of hope. Even if you were once clearly rejected, you take out memory after memory to prove that you were once special even when you weren't._

Sakura had always known that Sasuke was a private person. Most of their sessions took place only in his living room and he never invited her to go any further than that. So when she decided to open the door to his apartment anyway she was nervous. She had been knocking for about 2 minutes and nobody had come. The jar with his medicine needed to be left at room temperature and who knows, someone might try to steal it in this neighborhood if she left them outside his door. Anyway weren't teammates supposed to have privileges?

She entered the dark halls. Tsk she thought to herself, 'Why did Sasuke have to have a gloomy home?' As she made her way to the kitchen and placed the jar on the counter she decided that the next time she'll see her teammate she will insist on helping with interior decorating. A smile made its way to her lips when she saw the picture of Team Seven on a desk at his living room.

"He's home" she sighed.

As she searched his apartment for a note to leave on her delivered goods, her keen senses told her that someone was in the house. She was surprised to hear that he was home after all. She turned her attention to his bedroom. She made a mental note to improve her hearing abilities next time.

"Sasuke-kun?" she called out.

No answer.

'It's not like him to not hear me come in' she thought to herself.

She slowly made her way towards his room. What was he doing anyway? It was already 9 am, he couldn't possibly be just getting up. Sasuke was an early riser, by this time he was probably already up and about, maybe walking around the village or training with Naruto.

Her thoughts went back to when she was greeted at her office the other day with the sight of both her teammates bleeding with a bunch of broken bones.

_"Sakura-chan, we need you" Naruto had whined_.

_"Hn" Sasuke added_

_She had spent her first hour that morning healing their wounds and mending their broken bones._

_"I shouldn't be wasting my chakra on a bunch of idiots who think that beating each other up is the best kind of training" she had complained_

_"But Sakura-chan, it wouldn't really be training if we didn't take it seriously plus it wouldn't be considered a battle if we didn't have battle scars" Naruto had replied with the biggest idiotic grin he had._

_"Well, the next time you want to have battle scars then you should come to me and I'll personally guarantee that you'll have one" Sakura had cracked her knuckles and Naruto instantly paled as he remembered how painful her punches could be. She would heal him afterwards yes, but they had hurt like hell._

_"Sasuke-kun, have your eyes been giving you any trouble lately? I hope you didn't use them today" Sakura turned her attention to the dark-haired Uchiha who hadn't spoken a word during her exchange with Naruto._

_"I didn't."_

_"Good, I'm working on a decoction that might help in easing the pain you've told me about during our previous session, I'll bring it to you once it's finished" she said_

_"Hah! Teme, you've been complaining about some pain? Has Sakura-chan been babying you too much?" Naruto spoke in a teasing tone._

_"Shut up dobe." the stoic ninja muttered under his breath_

_Sakura had smiled weakly and proceeded to calming down her teammates before they decided to engage in another rough ramble. After all she didn't want to waste anymore chakra then she already had._

She smiled at the memory but shook her head. She seemed to be daydreaming too much nowadays.

She focused her attention on the task at hand. Wasn't she just looking for Sasuke?

She headed for the direction of his room. As her steps came closer to his room, a sense of impending doom washed over her. Something didn't seem right. Her heart clenched as she made her way closer,

Closer…

and the sounds became clearer.

Much much clearer

….and she realized what was happening on the other side of that door.

Bed creaking.

A grunt

"Sasuke-kun?" she called out again.

That's when she heard it.

A moan.

Then another grunt.

"Sasuke-kun…" A woman's voice.

Her eyes widened.

Another moan.

"Ah… "

Sakura stood frozen in place. She didn't know that Sasuke engaged in such activities. She was shocked that he would even allow himself to get close enough to a woman let alone be having sex. He was having sex. The thought alone seemed foreign to her. And her heart clenched again.

She had to stop herself when she felt a wave of jealousy. He was a man, of course he would respond to his urges once in a while. What was she thinking anyway, that he would suddenly have feelings for her? That he would, that he would… at least think of her first when he decided to make human contact?

'Yes, I've always thought that I was at least the only woman who was close to him' she answered her own question.

She heard another moan and she instantly blushed. Whoever was inside that room seemed to be enjoying herself. Sakura let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. What was she doing? Shouldn't she just leave? It wasn't like Sasuke was her… was her..

She felt herself tear up. Her eyes shifted to the ground as she heard what could have been the climax. 'Don't you dare Haruno,' she told herself. Her heart suddenly felt numb.

After a minute or two, a shift on the flooring suddenly caught her attention as she heard footsteps make their way toward her direction. Her instincts told her to run and never speak of this again but her feet stayed rooted to her spot as she decided that she wanted to know who this person was.

Who was beautiful and amazing enough to share Uchiha Sasuke's bed?

Was it Karin? That red-haired bitch had staked her claim as soon as she made eye contact with Sakura. Sakura however wasn't too worried because Sasuke obviously hadn't shown any interest. Had he finally given in to his male instincts?

Sakura shook her head. It couldn't possibly be Karin. Besides, that rogue nin was on a mission. Who could it be then?

Her eyes stayed glued to the floor when as if in slow motion the door to Sasuke's room opened and she saw two dainty feet step out of the doorway.

'This is it Sakura', she told herself. 'This is when your heart breaks. This is when you finally see that Uchiha Sasuke has always been out of your reach'.

"Sakura"

Her eyes shifted and what she saw broke her heart into a million pieces.

.

.

.

.

Long blonde hair

.

.

.

A body that could knock the socks out of any man

.

.

.

A face that was far too beautiful to be considered average.

.

.

.

"Ino".

* * *

_"Ino-chan! I finally found someone I like! "_

_"Who?"_

_"Uchiha Sasuke"  
._

_._

_._

_._

_"Ino, do you like Sasuke-kun?"_

_"Yes.."_

_"Then this means we're rivals… "_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_"I'm sorry Sakura"_

* * *

___" You've found your way under my skin, and I'm trying not to love you but I hate the way I keep on giving into you like I always do… no matter how I try." _

___– _Break the Spell by Daughtry

**AN: **Hi! So this is my first time writing a fic (Please be kind! :D ) I hope you'll like it. This story has been floating around in my head for a while now. In the manga, it was acknowledged that Ino still loves Sasuke and she is seldom used as the other woman so tada! :D this story is SasuSaku


	2. Chapter 2: When It Was Me

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. (sighs). This is rated M for a reason ;)

* * *

Chapter Two

**When It Was Me**

"_And I'm not jealous, no I'm not. I just want everything she's got." – song by Paula deAnda_

* * *

When Uchiha Sasuke had returned to Konoha everyone welcomed him back as if he never left. As if he never killed their comrades, as if he never hurt his own teammates. That thought alone brought a sick feeling to his stomach. 'Were people really this forgiving?' he thought to himself. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for it. It's just….. what he had done was too much. He didn't expect to be forgiven so easily, even if he had played a significant role in ending the war.

What confused him further was the fact that his old teammates seemed to have forgotten about what he did to them at that bridge….

He had almost killed Sakura

He had called Kakashi scum and had used the Sharingan against him.

He had even fought Naruto with the intention of killing him.

So why? Why did they act like nothing had ever happened?

He stopped himself from questioning their behavior further. He decided to just accept it. After all wasn't this what he had wanted all along?

To be able to come back to Konoha.

Prove himself a loyal shinobi

Give a good name to the Uchiha clan.

Still. He felt guilty.

He would be lying though if he said he wasn't relieved when they opened their hearts to him again. He was their teammate once more. They were important to him, Team Seven.

As were his own team, Team Taka.

The Hokage was very forgiving when he brought the three rogue nin in front of her. All three pledged their loyalty to Sasuke. He was the closest thing they had to family. So Tsunade made them official Konoha shinobi.

Although the war was finally over, there were still various civilian landlords who wanted to start up trouble. They hired stray shinobi, usually sound shinobi to do their dirty work. They took advantage of the fact that the shinobi world was still trying to recover and took it as an opportunity to start drug dealing, human trafficking and various crimes considered heinous to human kind.

Sasuke found it disgusting that human beings would do such acts even when they were recently threatened by the end of the world as they knew it.

That is why a lot of missions were still given to the shinobi.

Suigetsu was placed on the interrogation team. He was a sadistic nin and his methods proved to be effective.

Juugo submitted himself to research so that one day he will be able to control himself. He was only sent on missions as long as Sasuke was with him.

Karin wanted to have the same terms as Juugo but she was often sent on missions with other teams, serving as a chakra detector which was of great use.

Team Taka had found a home in Konoha.

* * *

Seven months after the war.

It was the anniversary of his clan's massacre.

Sasuke felt like shit that day. It wasn't that he was totally depressed, he was just in a bad mood and he didn't want to deal with anyone that day. So when Naruto came knocking at his door that morning he almost popped a vein.

"Sasuke-teme! Let's spar! I'll kick your butt today." the loud-mouthed idiot kept calling.

He decided to just ignore him.

But the knocking kept getting louder and louder.

"I know you're home! I'm not leaving till you answer me you bastard" Naruto had said. And proceeded to banging the door.

Sasuke was pissed. He pulled himself out of bed and walked towards the door. When he opened it Naruto had a big grin on. Sasuke took notice of the chakra on a tree at a distance and realized that Kakashi was reading his book nearby. He glared at his teammate.

"Leave me alone dobe"

"I know what day it is today". Naruto had a serious look on his face. "You don't have to go through it alone you know"

"I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity Sasuke. We're worried about you". His blonde teammate smiled but it only pissed him off more. Without saying another word Sasuke went back inside and slammed the door on Naruto's face.

He listened further for more noise but the idiot seemed to understand that he needed his space. Eventually, he felt Kakashi's chakra disappear too.

.

.

.

Ten minutes later another knock came.

Sasuke immediately opened it with the intent of shutting Naruto up when he noticed pink hair and green eyes.

"Ohayou Sasuke-kun, I bought these apples and thought that you might want to have some". Sakura was wearing casual clothes that day. She had her hair down, and was carrying a wooden basket with fruits inside.

"Hn" He opened his door to her.

His teammates' endless loud chatter annoyed him but somehow, during the past 7 months he noticed that Sakura enjoyed comfortable silence with him. It puzzled him at first. He was expecting the same twelve year old annoying brat who kept asking him on dates. This new Sakura was more self-guarded. She was very skilled too. In the first month after his return she immediately noticed the trouble he was experiencing with the Mangekyou.

"_Sasuke-kun, is something wrong with your eyes?"_

_Sasuke was annoyed. He didn't want to be perceived as weak so he had tried his best in keeping this problem a secret. When he started using Mangekyou Sharingan, his eyes had bled and from then on his eyesight little by little started to deteriorate. He wasn't really having a lot of difficulty in seeing but lately he had started to have blurred vision._

"_Let me take a look" Sakura started to turn towards him._

"_No"_

"_I know you're having trouble seeing Sasuke-kun"_

"_No I'm not"_

"_Oh come on, stop acting so tough. I noticed that the tomato you picked at the supermarket the other day wasn't the kind you usually bought"_

_With this Sasuke glared. 'So that's why it didn't taste good' he thought to himself._

_Sakura had already knelt in front of him and he looked at her with a suspicious expression. _

"_Don't you trust me?" she said in a serious voice._

_Sasuke closed his eyes and thought to himself. Did he trust Sakura? Memories started flooding in. _

_Of a bridge. _

_Of a kunoichi who swore she would betray her village for him. _

_The distrust he felt. _

_And the anger that flowed through his veins when he noticed the hidden kunai which was poisoned. _

_Did he trust Sakura? _

_He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was still waiting for his response. She didn't want to push him. This past month he noticed that she was an amazing person. Tsunade put her in charge of the hospital and a lot of well-known shinobi came to her for treatment. Even various kages. He knew of Sakura's medical prowess. She was clearly acknowledged as Tsunade in the making. Everyone trusted her._

_Sasuke sighed._

"_You're annoying"_

_Sakura gave him a smile and that's how their sessions started._

He left her to do her pealing at the kitchen and sat down at the table. When she was done, she set the perfect bunny-shaped apples in front of him and sat down, looking out the window. No words were exchanged as they ate the sweet fruit.

When she left that day she asked a few questions about the condition of his eyes and wished him a good day. She never mentioned the anniversary of the Uchiha massacre.

Sasuke didn't think she was so annoying then.

Still, he was in a bad mood.

* * *

Five months after the war.

Yamanaka Ino had changed since the war ended. She had lost her father. It caused her a lot of pain especially when she came home with the news of his passing and she had to watch as her mother who was always so cheerful slowly began to crumble in front of her. They cried in each other's arms the night she came home from the battlefield.

It was her father's birthday today. It was strange to celebrate it having a picnic near his tombstone. Her mother had said that Inoichi would've loved to eat his favorite meal during his special day. So they made a day out of it, bringing flowers, cleaning his burial ground and basically had a party with him. Except that he wasn't there anymore. Ino found it strange, how her mother seemed to be talking to her father as if he was really there. She admired this woman. She carried on with life as if she didn't lose the person she was supposed to spend it with.

Ino listened on and on as her mother talked about trivial things, the weather, how the flower shop was doing and how she was sorry for burning the food she made that day. When her mother left and gave her some time to have her own conversation with her father, Ino sat down in front of his grave and smiled at the inscription:

"Yamanaka Inoichi, loyal comrade, loving father, a hero to the village"

Her shoulders shook as she began to shed tears for the person who has taught her the most about being a ninja. He had told her that he was proud of her before he died. When they finally lost contact and the fact that he was gone finally sunk in, Ino wanted to just die. But it wasn't the right time to break. They were fighting a war and her father had entrusted her with the task of keeping the communication between all the shinobi. Her father died a hero, just like all the others who fought that war. He didn't have any regrets.

Still, she really missed him.

"I miss you dad." That was all she said. She got up and left without another word.

When Ino arrived home that day her mom had already started cooking.

"Seriously mom, you have to let me cook once in a while" she started to complain

What she saw completely stopped her in her tracks. Her mother was clutching a picture of her father and she was crying hard. Ino went to her side and wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"I miss him too mom"

She took her mother to her room and hugged her as she slowly cried herself to sleep. When her mother had completely fallen asleep, Ino cooked dinner and left it on the table with a note that said: "Went out, please eat mom, love Ino"

Ino wanted to get wasted that night. When she entered the bar there were already dancers on the floor and the party was up to its full swing. She went to the bartender and asked for something hard. He gave her tequila. She downed her first shot immediately and asked for another one. As her eyes scanned the area her eyes widened as she saw a familiar person sitting on one of the booths.

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting with Naruto. The blonde idiot seemed to be offering him sake.

Ino smirked and stalked her prey.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke hated bars. The music was loud. The people were loud. His best friend was extra loud with all the noise around. He was annoyed.

"Teme! Have another cup of sake. You haven't been drinking tonight at all." He proceeded to pouring him another cup. "I hope you're not a lightweight like Sakura-chan. You should see her drunk. It's a side of her you've never seen before" he added.

"Hn" Sasuke replied

"You're so boring, why don't we ever have a normal conversation?" Naruto looked at him with raised eyebrows

"Then don't ask me to come"

"But this is a Team Seven celebration! Sakura-chan's even coming over after her shift to drink with us."

"I don't see what the big deal is" Sasuke retorted

"What? The fact that both of us just made Anbu isn't a big deal? Are you crazy or something ?! Of course it's a… " Naruto's face looked over Sasuke's shoulder as he noticed a certain silver-haired ninja begin to exit the club.

"Wait, I see Kakashi-sensei and he's leaving! Uwah, I have to go get him" He quickly got off the booth and ran towards their sensei.

Sasuke was left alone.

That's when Ino slithered next to him and pressed her body to his.

"Hey Sasuke-kun" she looked at him with eyes that could not be trusted.

He chose to ignore her.

"Ugh, fine, I'm not gonna flirt with you okay? This day has been absolutely horrible." She began to whine

Sasuke's eyes scanned over her. Ino had her hair up in her usual ponytail. What she was wearing however was something he didn't usually see. The tight black leather skirt she had on showed a lot of leg and her white sleeveless top was tight around her chest. She was wearing red high-heeled shoes that made her look taller than she actually was. She looked like she was about to party. However, he noticed that her aura had a depressing vibe to it.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun. Are you over it?"

He looked at her with one of his eyebrows raised.

Ino continued with her talking.

"I'm asking if you're over losing your entire clan". Ino knew she was treading on dangerous waters but the fourth shot gave her courage.

He turned his head from her and decided to ignore her again.

"You see, it's my father's birthday today and I miss him. It still hurts"

Sasuke had heard about her father's passing during the war along with several others. Madara was very powerful. A lot of lives were lost because of his dead ancestor. He tried to picture Ino's father but he couldn't put a face to him.

"Hey, Sasuke, do you wanna go somewhere?" she whispered to his ear seductively.

For some reason he couldn't explain…

He took her offer.

They left the bar together and went to a love hotel. As she locked the door to their room she pulled the tie off her hair and her blonde locks fell around her. Sasuke looked at her as he stood near the bed. She started walking towards him slowly and when she finally reached him, she pulled his head close and kissed him.

Sasuke just stared at her at first as he felt her lips on his. Then he suddenly grabs her head and tilts it to his assault.

Ino was shocked, she didn't think that Sasuke would respond so aggressively. She opens her mouth for his tongue's entry and their appendages begin to battle for dominance.

The next thing they know, they're both naked and her hand is on his cock, cupping it and slowly massaging it until it was rock hard.

Sasuke pushes her down and lowers his hand to her clit and started putting pressure, rubbing circles on it. His other hand starts caressing her breast. Ino moans. Who knew Uchiha Sasuke was an experienced lover? She wants him so bad now. And she tells him so.

Before she knows it, his hands are pushing her legs apart and he positions himself at her entrance.

"Yes" she moans.

He thrusts in. Hard. Ino gasps at the intense pleasure she is feeling. He doesn't give her time to adjust to his sudden invasion. It didn't hurt though. She was no virgin.

He lowers his head to her neck and nuzzles it. Then he starts pumping.

"Ah…. " Her arms wrap around his neck as she urges him to continue with the pace he set. Ino was shocked. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that she would be doing this with Uchiha Sasuke. She had wanted to, but she didn't expect it to really happen.

She bites her lip as his pace suddenly quickens and his hand cups her ass and pushes her against him.

His groan encourages her to push back against him.

The room is filled with her moans and his grunts as they fuck each other. And then it was over.

Ino was on cloud nine. She had just slept with Uchiha Sasuke and he was amazing. The best lay she has ever had. She turns to look at him and is immediately disappointed when he gets up, puts some money on the table for the room and leaves without saying a word.

Ino turns to her side and draws her knees to her chest. She suddenly felt cheap.

"Are you proud of me now dad?" She whispers in the dark.

* * *

The next time they do it was on the anniversary of the Uchiha massacre.

Ino had found Sasuke in the same bar again but this time he was alone. He was sitting near the bartender and was on his third cup of sake. Ino immediately goes to him and takes him to her house. Her mother was away on vacation that weekend and they had it all to themselves.

Clothes were thrown all over the floor as she led Sasuke to her room. When she pushes him down on her bed, she straddles his waist and starts pushing against him. Sasuke's hands go to her hips as he grinds back. Her hands go to his pants and she takes it off him along with his boxers. She immediately grasps his semi-hard appendage in her hands and starts pumping.

Sasuke's face contorts in pleasure as he thrusts into her hands.

"Let me ease the pain a little" she whispers as her head lowers to his cock.

Sasuke lets her taste him.

* * *

The third time didn't involve any drama or sake. She just felt like testing his boundaries again.

When he entered his apartment to find her naked on his couch he doesn't say a word, takes off his shirt and takes her on the couch.

They fucked like animals that night. He takes her from behind and she moans as he starts a hard pace. Sasuke was very dominant but she wasn't complaining. His hand lowers to her clit and starts flicking it. Ino moans as she feels a sudden jolt of pleasure. He was good. Very good.

"Harder Sasuke-kun" He complies and her world is suddenly spinning.

'Man this man could fuck' she thought to herself.

He makes her cum three times before he reaches his peak.

When it was all over he rolls away from her, stands up and leaves the room.

She gathers her clothes and leaves the apartment without saying anything.

Ino doesn't care that Uchiha Sasuke was cold to her. It doesn't bother her that when she's with him no words were exchanged. She doesn't care because she loves it. She had control over his body and she was contented with that.

So she keeps on going to him, keeps on seducing him and keeps on making him fuck her.

It was amazing.

And they continued to do it.

* * *

A brief moment of silence passed over the two kunoichi

"How long has this been going on?" Sakura turned to her with a look of betrayal on her face.

"Three months"

Sakura's eyes widened at the confession.

"Are you in a relationship?" She asked.

"I don't know. Sasuke-kun doesn't seem to be the type to put a label on what we're doing."

"I see." Sakura lowers her head and stares at the floor.

"Sakura"

Sakura lifts her head to see Sasuke standing in his doorway shirtless.

"I.. Gomenasai. I was just delivering the decoction I made. No one answered so I came in anyway." She was stammering. "Ah, so…, sorry for coming in at a … er… Uhm… private moment. I'll come in tomorrow for your usual check-up Sasuke-kun. Have a nice day" She said that sentence at a fast pace and was out the door before anyone could reply.

That night, Sakura tries with all her might to stop herself from crying

* * *

"_What makes her so much better than me? What makes her just everything I can never be?" - When It Was Me_

To be continued_._

**AN:** Thank you so much for reading :) I really appreciate it. I do apologize that the progress is slow but I promise to update soon. ;)


	3. Chapter 3: Dirty Laundry

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto ;) (sends mental waves to Kishimoto's head. "SasuSaku… SasuSaku…." )

Chapter Three

**Dirty Laundry**

"_What's the fun in playing it safe? Wouldn't you rather misbehave? My way…. " – song by Bitter:Sweet_

* * *

When Sakura woke up that morning the sky had a grayish tinge to it. Konoha was approaching its rainy season. She laid in bed for a while and listened to her surroundings. A sense of calm came over her. It was a good day to just roll around in bed. She had her day off today which was good timing. Maybe it was about time she had that long slumber she so desperately needed.

She stretched like a cat and got up to pull the covers over her. As she was on her way to sleeping on her side she took notice of something. Damn, It was 11 am already. This meant that she was already late for her visit to Sasuke. Images of what happened the previous day washed over her.

The shock of finding a woman in Sasuke's apartment.

The hurt of discovering that woman to be her best friend.

The betrayal of being told that they had been bed buddies for three months already.

And the denial that she didn't care.

Yesterday had passed like a blur. She couldn't even remember the work she had done in the hospital. Her mind kept replaying what she saw that day. She had stayed up late last night just thinking about it. Her heart was aching. But she refused to cry. It didn't concern her really. Sasuke was free to have sex with anyone he wanted. Her hands shook as she tried to hold her tears back again. Her lips trembled.

But no tears were shed.

Still, even if she didn't have the right to get jealous she couldn't help but feel heartbroken. How many times had Sasuke taken her heart and shredded it to pieces?

'Too many times 'Sakura noted.

It wasn't his fault though. They were just teammates. It didn't matter if she had openly displayed her affection for him. He just didn't see her that way.

Seriously, why did it have to be Ino? Yes, Ino was her rival. But she was also her best friend. Sakura had once renounced their friendship due to her feelings for Sasuke. As genin, they constantly challenged each other to see if who was the better kunoichi and who was better suited for the young Uchiha. At the age of fifteen, Sakura obviously surpassed her friend in skills and even became her upperclassman. After the war, Sakura was named one of the legendary Sannin who helped bring the alliance to victory.

Sakura even had more admirers than the blonde.

So why did Sasuke pick Ino?

Maybe it was her own imagination but Sakura had thought that she was the closest woman to Uchiha Sasuke. After all, they had two sessions per week so she could heal his eyes. She had spent long hours in the company of the avenger and even had decent conversations with him.

Sakura sighed.

'Maybe those things don't really matter' She said to herself.

She got up and took a hot shower. She changed into pants, a tank top and wore a sweater. She tied her hair into a long ponytail. After grabbing a piece of leftover onigiri she took her umbrella and left the house to go to Sasuke's apartment.

* * *

Sasuke had gotten up early that day. However, when he changed into his training attire he noticed that the weather wasn't conducive to his planned activities. With a sigh he decided to cook breakfast. As he was eating his onigiri, he looked outside. A storm seemed to be coming. He made a mental note to restock his supplies for the coming rain. He looks at the clock. 6:30 am. The supermarket would be open after a few hours.

'Maybe I'll look over some scrolls for now.' He said to himself.

The next time he looks at a clock is at 10:30 am. That is when he realizes that Sakura was supposed to visit him that day.

'Sakura.' He thought about his pink-haired teammate. She had discovered Ino in his apartment yesterday. It was an annoying occurrence. He didn't like it that Ino had revealed the length of time they became "friends".

Hell, he didn't even like the fact that they were like that in the first place. He was a man however and that meant he had urges. Ino had proven to be an effective form of release and she never asked for more. So it made sense to fuck her. It wasn't like he was the one initiating the activities anyway. She was a willing partner.

Still, he felt a little bothered that Sakura had discovered their secret. Sakura was after all one of his trusted friends and it made him uncomfortable that she saw what he was doing during his free time.

He glanced at the clock again. 10:33 am.

Maybe Sakura didn't want to see him for a while?

"Tch, it's not like it should matter" he said to himself.

He continues reading and suddenly notices that he wasn't feeling pain anymore. Actually, he hadn't been feeling pain since he woke up that morning. He looked at the jar of medicine on his countertop. Sakura had really become a skilled herbalist. His thoughts drifted to his female teammate again.

Sakura was always so busy. Well, that would be expected from someone who was head of a hospital. She looked over the various departments of the building. During emergency cases, when the other medics couldn't handle it, Sakura was the one to take over. She was an accomplished kunoichi at nineteen years old. She also had a long line of admirers to prove that she was an attractive woman.

Sasuke didn't really see it however. Sakura was just Sakura. She was passionate about work. She was caring to her teammates and that included him.

Sasuke was worried at first when she had suggested that they start a chain of healing sessions so she could bring his eyes back to normal. He had first thought that it was a way to get closer to him. But she had surprised him when she didn't even ask him on a date since he returned to the village. It was a welcomed shock.

He didn't think he could handle another loud and pushy Sakura. He had enough fangirls to worry about. They had come like a swarm of bees when he first walked the streets of Konoha. They still kept flirting with him til now.

Sakura never flirted with him. She was just caring.

"_I love you with all my heart!"_

Memories of what she said before he left came to his mind.

" _If you leave, it would be the same as being alone"_

Sakura was only twelve when she said those words. She was wrong. During his absence she had gained more friends than before. She was doing okay on her own.

He wondered a bit if what she saw yesterday would cause an unnecessary change in their slow friendship. He was prepared to answer the questions she would be asking even if they were annoying.

She, as his teammate, at least deserved to ask.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Perfect timing.

When he opened the door, he saw a very tired looking but smiling Sakura.

"Ohayou Sasuke-kun, the weather is cold today huh? I think a storm might be coming." She was being her usual self.

Sasuke stepped aside to let her in.

"Sorry for intruding." She took off her sandals and left her umbrella outside.

"So, how are your eyes today? Did you drink the medicine I delivered yesterday?" she inquired.

"Ah, the pain is gone" he replied

"Oh, that's good news. Can I take a look?"

He squatted in his living room and she settled herself in front of him. As he closed his eyes, he began to feel the soothing feel of Sakura's chakra as she placed her hands at each side of his head. They didn't talk for a while after that.

After an hour, Sakura withdrew her hands and placed them on her lap.

"Things seem to be doing well Sasuke-kun" She smiled.

He nodded his head in agreement.

"Are you still experiencing blurring of vision?"

"No"

"That's good" she beamed. "We still have a long way to go. It will take some time for me to fully heal the nerve supply to your eyes. Today I only managed to bring about two centimeters back to normal. Gomen, I don't have much chakra to give away like Naruto" she laughed.

"You don't have to go so far for me Sakura"

The laugh was cut short. She looked at him with a troubled expression.

"Trust me, I'm not Sasuke-kun. I'm doing what I feel is adequate as your doctor"

He didn't say anything.

"Yosh, I guess that's it for today" She began to get up. It bothered him that she was acting like nothing happened yesterday.

"I've been sleeping with Ino" He didn't know why he suddenly felt the need to say it.

Sakura paused and knelt in front of him again.

"I know" She bit her lower lip.

"It has nothing to do with you"

"You're right"

He looked at her.

"I'm sorry for walking in on you guys yesterday. I won't enter your house without knocking next time" she turned away and hid her face from him

Sasuke didn't know what else to say. He didn't even know why he said it in the first place. A part of him was just curious about how she would react. She was clearly affected.

When she got up and left the apartment. He looked at the spot she was looking at when she turned her face away from him.

A teardrop seemed to have fallen.

"Annoying" he said out loud.

* * *

Sakura was pissed. What right did he have to say that? She was walking at a fast pace towards the training grounds. She hated the fact that what Sasuke said hurt her a little. Okay, a lot. She was trying to act like yesterday didn't happen but he decided on his own that they needed to address the elephant in the room.

"_It has nothing to do with you"_

Sakura clenched her fists. 'Bastard' She thought to herself. When she arrived at Sector 21 she took out the gloves she always took with her wherever she went. She looked at the training dummies attached to wooden poles in front of her.

"Gomen you guys. I'm gonna have to pummel you to pieces today" she said to them. She assumed her usual fighting stance.

She broke 86 dummies that day.

* * *

The next few weeks passed by so fast. Konoha was bracing itself for the coming storm. Houses were strengthened and supplies were given out to several homes. Sakura was busier than usual. She needed to prepare the hospital. She finalized the listing for all the shifts and was personally in charge with assigning medics to certain patients. She oversaw the organization of volunteers and made sure that the building had no shortage of medical and food supplies.

Everything was ready.

Within a few hours, the storm passed over the village of Konoha. Homes were shut tight. Streets were empty. No one was allowed outside. The winds howled as they sifted through trees and various buildings. Sakura glanced up as she heard a tree fall over at the side of the hospital. She went back to reading her medical books.

Her eyes skimmed over a surgical procedure on the eye when an ear-piercing scream interrupted her study. She got up and ran as fast as she could towards the entrance. A woman, about thirty years of age was being carried inside. She was pregnant. And she was having the baby today. To make matters worse, blood was running down her legs. A lot of blood.

"Take her to the delivery room, set up all the supplies" she instructed.

As she assisted the woman to the delivery room, she turned to the husband who was as pale as a sheet of paper. He was in a state of panic.

"Sir, may I know what happened?" she inquired

"I… she was having contractions and we were rushing to the hospital when a tree suddenly fell in front of us. She was so scared she slipped and fell to the ground… too slow… I was too slow to catch her"

"Don't worry, I'll do what I can" Sakura had her doctor face on and she proceeded to the delivery room.

The husband was left outside to wait for his wife's fate.

An hour later, Sakura came out with a baby in her arms.

"It's a boy" She handed the newborn over to his father's arms.

"Your wife is doing okay. I managed to stop the bleeding. She's in recovery now". The husband's face filled with relief.

"Arigatou sensei, Thank you very much"

Sakura gave him a smile and left him to bond with his son. As she was walking in the corridor, she saw something that stopped her. A body bag was being pushed towards the morgue. Her face held much worry. As she approached the orderly she asked what had happened.

"Ah, Sakura-sama, this man was crushed underneath the tree that fell. The medics tried to save him but the tree was far too big to move. He passed after a few minutes"

"Damn it! Why wasn't I called?" She clearly had the strength to save this man.

"I, you were attending to that other woman. They tried to do it on their own"

Sakura's heels clicked on the floor as she made her way to her office. She slammed the door shut. She was angry. First because her subordinates were too stupid to call on her and second, because she wasn't intuitive enough to check when that tree fell over. And third, because the book she was reading was for her study about Uchiha Sasuke's eyes. She nearly lost her female patient today. She thanked Kami she didn't. She looked outside her window.

The storm seemed to have passed.

She took her coat and made her way towards the nearest bar.

* * *

She entered the bar and immediately sat in front of the bartender.

"Hard day huh?" he calmly stated.

"You can say that. Something strong please Yuuta-san" she muttered. The bartender nodded his head and went to get her usual drink. Haruno Sakura was a regular customer. She usually came in when she had a lousy day.

She was handed sake and she proceeded to downing it in big gulps.

"Try not to drink too much Haruno-san" he added.

Sakura laughed. She remembered exactly what happened last time she got drunk in this bar. She still continued to get portions out of her salary for the damage she had caused.

"Hai, Hai" she dismissed him.

She dangled the sake cup in front of her. She shared this sacred relationship with her shishou. Sake was good. Sake was her friend. Sake made her forget. However, her thoughts suddenly led her to scary places.

'Not enough'

'It's all my fault'

'I was an incompetent medic'

'I'm never going to be good enough, even for Sasuke'

Sakura was still angry with the young Uchiha. She wasn't over him. It pissed her off. She promised to herself the day he returned that she would take things slow with him. She had held some hope that he would eventually see her and that they would someday have a happy ending. Apparently, Sasuke had other plans. Plans that included sleeping with Ino.

Sakura's grip on her sake cup tightened. She hasn't talked to Ino since she found her at Sasuke's apartment. She was out on an important mission.

Nor had she talked with Sasuke since he so harshly stated that she was of no significance to his affairs.

"_I've been sleeping with Ino"_

Her eyes narrowed.

She sighed.

'I wonder how he is doing.' She thought to herself. She didn't have a session with him after that but she kept on sending him instructions on how to speed up his eyes' recovery.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turns to the stranger behind her.

"Hi, Sakura-san right?" He was quite handsome and had a friendly smile on his face. His hair was dark and was spiked at its ends.

'Just like Sasuke-kun'

"My name is Kaito. I've always admired you. You're very beautiful you see. Can I have a seat?" She nodded her head and he took the seat next to her.

"Uwaaaah, You're even prettier up close" He had his flirting mode on.

Sakura blushed. She was used to attention but this man was more handsome than most of her fans. They continued talking through the night and shared a bottle of sake. A couple of hours later, Sakura was drunk.

The man had a sinister smirk on. This was his chance. Sakura Haruno was one of his targets. She was one of those women who was just too hard to impress. As it turns out, she was a bit of a lightweight. And she flirted hard when she was drunk. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder.

"Hey, wanna go to a love hotel?" He whispered to her ear.

She was still a bit delirious but she placed her hand on top of his and nodded her head. They got up and he snaked his arm around her waist.

Before they left the bar however, a figure blocked their path.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke had seen Sakura when she entered the bar. She didn't seem to notice him though. He concluded that maybe she was intentionally ignoring him. He chose to ignore her too and continued drinking.

A few minutes later, he noticed the familiar face of Akimichi Kaito. He was one of Shino's relatives and was a skilled shinobi. However, he was notoriously known as a playboy to the ladies. He frequented this bar and left with several girls. The man had set his eyes on Sakura the moment she set foot on the bar. He had acquired his target.

At first, he didn't worry. Sakura was known as a heartbreaker. She continued to shut down men when they flirted with her. If they pushed her too far, she made sure that they understood that she was a powerful kunoichi. He remembered the time when one of her fans came to their booth and had casually draped his arm around her.

"_Hey baby, wanna have a drink with me?"_

"_Oi! Get your hands off Sakura-chan!" Naruto had shouted immediately. Sasuke had decided to observe the scene. This man was a civilian and he clearly did not have the smarts to notice how strong this woman was._

"_Hm, she isn't pushing me away though" the man had stated. The next thing they know, his body was flung across the floor and he was groaning in pain. Sakura had broken one of his ribs. _

_Naruto had an expression of fear on his face and Sakura just shrugged and continued with her drinking._

"_Some men are pigs" she calmly stated. "More sake here please!" she called to the waitress._

_Sasuke decided that day never to piss off his female teammate._

Sasuke could still remember the look of pain that civilian had. He was about to see an interesting scene. It surprised him however when Sakura accepted Kaito's invitation to have a drink together. It astonished him even further when he noticed that she was flirting back.

'What the hell?' he thought to himself.

He continued to observe the pair when he finally realized something. Sakura was drunk. The jerk was obviously taking advantage. He watched as Sakura laughed at something the bug-boy said.

The bartender turned to look at him and tilted his head to their direction.

A few minutes later, they stood from their seats and began to exit the bar. That was when he decided to interfere.

Sakura was…

Annoying.

* * *

"Hey man, what's your problem?" Sakura's mind was in a bit of a blur. What was she doing? She felt really hot all over. An arm was around her shoulders supporting her. The man who was holding her was talking to someone. They seemed to be having an argument. The next thing she knows her body was being pushed to the arms of another man.

"Che, I know better than to mess with an Uchiha" she heard the other man say.

'What was his name again?'

'Kai-something…'

He was saying something about Uchiha. Was the man currently carrying her Sasuke? Her eyes drifted shut.

When she regains consciousness she's in an unfamiliar bed.

"You should know how to hold your liquor" Sasuke was standing while looking out to his window. Sakura instantly blushed and pulled the covers more tightly around her.

"You need to rest." He offered.

"I'm okay Sasuke-kun. I'm sorry for troubling you." She began to get up but a mind numbing headache stopped her.

Maybe she needed to relax for a bit.

Sasuke looked at her with an expression that said "told you so"

Sakura bit her lip.

"There are some clothes in the bathroom. You can bathe if you want." He offered.

Sakura smiled. Sasuke was a kind person. She turned to look at him.

"That sounds like a good idea. Thank you Sasuke-kun." She slowly got up, dangled her legs for a few minutes and went to his bathroom.

As she lowered herself to the tub, she noticed that it was raining again. Maybe Sasuke had taken her to his apartment because it was nearer.

She bathed for a few minutes.

After, she wrapped a towel around her. Before she left the bathroom, she noticed something. She came closer to check. Sasuke had only one toothbrush. She checked further. There were no female items in the counter.

'So his relationship with Ino was purely physical it seemed' She looked at her reflection in the mirror for a moment. She shook her head and a look of determination crossed her face.

It was worth a try.

* * *

Sasuke was standing at the same spot. He listened as a splash was heard in the bathroom. She was bathing. He sighed. Haruno Sakura was really annoying.

And she nearly got raped tonight. She was lucky he was at that bar. If he wasn't then she would be waking up in a love hotel somewhere in the village and would have no recollection of the previous night's happenings.

She was really naïve sometimes.

His attention shifted when he felt her chakra at his doorway. He turned to her.

What he saw made his jaw drop but only a little. She was still wearing her towel.

"I have a proposition" she calmly stated.

"Put some clothes on first"

She lets the towel drop and he turns his head away.

"What are you doing Sakura?" he asked. He saw her reflection through his window.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm asking you to sleep with me" Sasuke's eyes widened.

"You're drunk"

"I am fully sober and you know that Sasuke-kun" He glanced at her and her face was serious.

"No"

He turns away to avoid watching her expression. What she does next shocks him.

She wraps her arms around him from the back. He could feel her naked body pressed up against him. Her breast felt soft and perky. He clenched his fist. She was clearly shaking as well.

"Sasuke-kun. Please, Give me tonight. I promise, I won't bother you ever again."

And that was the last straw. She was really desperate. It pissed him off how often Sakura let herself be open to him. She made him see her vulnerabilities. Maybe it was time he showed her how cruel he could be.

He switches their positions and has her back against the window.

"Don't ask for something you're going to regret Sakura" His hand wrapped itself around her neck.

"I can make my own decisions" The next thing he knows, her lips are on his and she has her body pressed to him.

They separate and he takes off his shirt. When he angles her head to him once more she opens her mouth and lets his tongue in.

She moans and he starts to harden. Sakura had a sexy mouth and he continues to explore it.

Her hand wraps around his tresses tightly and pulls him closer. His own press her hips closer. One of them goes down to the back of her thighs and lifts it against him.

"Wrap them around me" he states.

She does what he says and the contact causes him to hiss. She was already wet. And they haven't even done much yet. His mind fills with images of what he was going to do to her. He was going to make her see.

She was totally going to regret it in the morning. He instantly pushed the guilt away. Sasuke was a man. He would be lying if he said he wasn't turned on when Sakura decided to let her towel fall. She had a beautiful body.

He carries her to his bed.

He explores her body and touches her in places no man had ever dared. She opens herself to him.

When he pushes inside her he pauses.

She was a virgin. This pissed him off even further. Sakura was really an idiot.

She wraps her arms around him and whispers.

"Don't stop" He pushes past her barrier and she lets out a moan. He starts a hard and fast pace that has her screaming his name.

Sasuke closed his eyes.

It felt amazing.

He pumps harder and faster as he feels her near her peak.

Then it was all over.

When Sakura got the chance to at least catch her breath, she stood up, grabbed her discarded towel and turned her back to him.

"Arigatou Sasuke-kun"

And she left.

The thought of stopping her never once crossed his mind

.

.

.

_Yes, Uchiha Sasuke was a bastard._

* * *

"_We're simply mad. Simply mad" –Dirty Laundry_

**AN: ***blush blush* I have a plan for this story. I'm the type of fan who doesn't want them to get together immediately and I love a story filled with angst. I want to develop their friendship slowly too.

If anyone is wondering, italicized paragraphs are flashbacks :D

Please review! Thanks for reading. :D


	4. Chapter 4: Things I'll Never Say

Disclaimer: I don't have to repeat myself right? Naruto isn't mine. (Not sure if I should say this in every chapter)

Chapter Four

**Things I'll Never Say**

"_It don't do me any good. It's just a waste of time. What use is it to you what's on my mind?"_ – song by Avril Lavigne

* * *

"Sasuke-teme, what the hell is wrong with you today?" Sasuke's forehead twitched. Naruto was really loud.

"Katon: Gokakyou No Jutsu!"

"Seriously! I wasn't even ready when you started attacking me! And who the hell wakes up their best friend at 4 am in the morning and starts attacking them?!" Naruto narrowly dodged the fireball techinique.

Sasuke continued to attack him with the same jutsu.

"I'm sleepy Teme and tired. I just got home from a mission!" Naruto rolled over and summoned fifty bunshin.

Sasuke got rid of them easily.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're taking out your frustrations on me? What's wrong? Didn't get laid?" Naruto snickered.

Sasuke continued to attack him.

He was pissed. Really pissed.

And he felt guilty.

He had taken advantage of Sakura. She was obviously acting different a few hours ago. She wasn't being herself and she made rash decisions. She got carried away by her emotions.

She…

.

.

.

She…

.

.

.

She felt good.

And that's why he felt guilty.

She didn't know what she was asking.

She was too trusting.

She would probably ask for more.

.

"_Sasuke-kun. Please, Give me tonight. I promise, I won't bother you ever again."_

_._

Or not.

She better keep her promise.

She was his teammate.

That was all she was to him.

He aimed his attack on Naruto again.

"Ow! that hurt teme!" his blonde friend yelled.

* * *

Sakura woke up with a lot of thoughts on her mind. She had officially done something stupid. When she got home the night before she took a bath again, cleansed herself, scrubbed her body furiously, anything to wash away the shame. She had presented herself like a prostitute to Uchiha Sasuke. He would surely be disgusted with her.

_She_ was disgusted with herself.

"_Don't ask for something you're going to regret Sakura"_

She groaned at the memory of what he said. Did she regret it? She thought about what she had done for a while.

She did.

But, it was one of the most amazing things she experienced. Sasuke was amazing. No wonder Ino kept coming back even if he never gave much thought to their relationship.

Sakura paused. Was she right in assuming that Sasuke and Ino's relationship was purely physical? Her instincts told her she was. Besides, if they were officially "together" Ino would have told her about it already.

So they weren't …Right?

What did that make her?

Sakura sighed. Sasuke made it obvious that he didn't approve of what she had offered him. But, he was just a man. Any man regardless of their feelings would have done the same thing he did.

Her thoughts led her back to what they had done.

His lips on her lips

Her neck

Her breasts

Her…

She blushed. She still couldn't believe it. She felt too much yesterday. She was too emotional at that moment and had acted on first impulse. Any other day, she wouldn't have suggested such a thing.

She placed her forearm on her head and looked at the ceiling.

So? What happens now?

She had no choice really. There was nothing else to do but carry on like usual. Sasuke let her go. She should act like it never happened. He was probably expecting the same thing.

She glanced at the clock.

6 am

She got up and prepared for work.

* * *

What greeted her that day though had her forehead twitching.

"What the hell?" she said out loud

"He he." Naruto had a stupid grin on again. Most of his clothes were burned. She could even see parts of his ass.

"Put some clothes on you idiot!" she screamed.

"But my whole body hurts" he whined

Sakura glanced at Sasuke who was standing at the doorway to her office. She didn't expect to see him again so soon. She looked over his form. Not much damage.

Just a couple of cuts and bruises.

Her hands glowed with her chakra as she started to heal Naruto.

"Seriously, one day you'll come in bleeding and I won't waste my chakra on both of you"

"Come on Sakura-chan, you know you love it when we need you." Naruto had a smile on.

"Fine fine, but someday, I'll leave you guys to tend to your own injuries. See how tedious it is" she lectured.

"The one you should be mad at is him" Naruto pointed at Sasuke.

Sakura looked at the dark-haired shinobi and turned to the loudmouth again. She raised her eyebrow.

"He woke me up at 4 am in the morning and started attacking me like a madman!"

"Seriously, Sasuke-kun." She said

She healed Naruto's injuries and they talked about his latest mission. When she was done with her work he thanked her and bid her goodbye immediately. He was really really tired.

And so, she was left alone with the Uchiha.

No words were exchanged for a few minutes. It seemed like hours. Sakura finally cleared her throat.

"Uhm, you need to be healed too?" she looked at him.

Sasuke clicked his tongue and went inside her office. He sat down in front of her and she started to heal his injuries as well.

Sakura's mind was a mess. She focused her attention on just healing his body. Her hands passed over his to fix a couple of cuts. She tried to erase the memory of those same hands holding her last night, touching her. Her mental turmoil went on for a couple of minutes. When she finally moved her hands to his face she noticed him looking at her.

Her heart started to beat fast. She finished curing the cut on his left cheek and turned away.

"Hn"

"Is there anything else you need?"

"None"

"Okay then. Have a nice day Sasuke-kun" She hoped her voice didn't sound shaky.

He got up and started moving towards the door.

"Wait" she couldn't stop herself. He paused as he was about to grasp the handle.

Silence fell over them for a couple of seconds. Sakura bit her lip. She didn't know what to say.

"When are you available for the next session?" she decided on not talking about it.

"Next week. I have a mission." He sounded emotionless.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you then"

When he reached for the doorknob again she interrupted him.

"Sasuke-kun. If it would be okay with you, I would like to continue healing your eyes in my office instead." She gave him a smile.

He nodded his head and left without saying another word. When she heard the door to her office click shut. She let out the breath she was holding.

She slouched on her chair. She had decided to change the venue because she knew she wouldn't feel comfortable in his apartment anymore. Too many distractions. She couldn't trust herself. Maybe being alone with him in her office for a change would help keep her calm.

She turned her attention to the stack of folders on her desk. She stretched her arms. She had a lot of work to do.

* * *

Uzumaki Karin was a skilled chakra detector. So when she got home from her mission she focused on looking for Uchiha Sasuke's chakra. She missed him. It had been two months since she had seen the dark-haired God. She was looking forward to seducing him tonight. She bought a bottle of perfume from Suna with the intention of ending up in bed with him.

It had been so long. She was sure that dear Sasuke-kun would eventually cave and give in to his male instinct the same way he had during her first success. He was an amazing lover. They fucked hard and he had taken her to places she only dared to dream of. They continued to do it when he came home to Konoha. However, after a few months he started to refuse her.

Maybe it was because of that time she left her underwear in his room. He handed it to her one day and she had squealed in delight at his thoughtfulness when he suddenly said.

"I don't want you leaving your things in my apartment."

She shrugged it off as him being pissed but she was determined to have him again.

Her body shivered at the thought of having him inside her.

It had been too long.

An expression of perversion came to her face and she started to laugh maniacally. She made her way as fast as she could to his apartment.

* * *

When Sasuke arrived at his apartment he felt relieved. Sakura had decided to forget about what happened the previous day. He was worried about nothing. He immediately made his way to the shower. He stripped his clothes and left them on the floor. He went in and set the shower to the right temperature. He closed his eyes as the warm water washed over him. He sighed. His muscles were strained.

After he was done he wrapped a towel around his waist and glanced at his bathroom. Sakura had used it last night. His eyes fell on the tub. An image of her bathing suddenly came to his mind. His cheeks warmed. He immediately snapped out of it. What was he thinking about?

He shrugged.

He had made the offer as a friend. Maybe the fact that Sakura was the first woman to use his bathroom proved to be too intimate. He decided not to let anyone else in next time.

When he went back to his room he found Karin lying on his bed.

"Karin"

"Sasuke-kun, I missed you." She moaned. Karin felt the familiar spread of warmth on her body when she saw Sasuke's chest. He really had an amazing body.

He decided to ignore her and went to his dresser to get a change of clothes. When he got what he wanted he turned to her again. She was in her underwear. Why did women strip in front of him so frequently? Even Sakura had approached him naked yesterday. He glared at her then.

"Leave"

"Mou Sasuke-kun, you used to love doing it with me"

"Don't be deluded"

"Come on" She got up and made her way towards him. She stopped a few inches and whispered to his ear.

"You know you want to." Her hands touched his abs and slowly made their way down.

His hand stopped her.

"Stop"

He sounded so serious. She frowned.

With a huff she turned towards his door and stormed out. When she left his home she adjusted her glasses. She noticed something when she was in his apartment.

No, in his bedroom. The chakra of a certain pink-haired kunoichi.

It was time she paid her a visit.

* * *

Sakura was enjoying her home-made bento when she felt the chakra of an annoying person. She turned her head towards her door. Her eyes narrowed. What the hell was she doing here? She didn't say anything. This person would not need an affirmation to come in. She snapped her chopsticks in two when her door was kicked open.

Karin looked pissed.

"I see Konoha doesn't seem to have a shortage of sluts"

"Speak for yourself" Sakura retorted.

The red-haired psycho laughed. "Denying it are we?"

"What are you talking about Karin?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. First that blonde bitch who always seemed to be at Sasuke-kun's house these past few months and now her pink-haired bitch best friend who has always been hanging around him like a leech"

"Watch your mouth Karin I just might break your jaw"

"Ha! You know Sasuke-sama wouldn't approve of you beating up his beloved teammate! Tell me, did he let you know that he's been sleeping with me too?" Her face showed an expression of triumph.

Sakura couldn't help the shock she felt. She didn't expect this. So Sasuke did sleep with Karin as well. Did she really know him at all?

At the sight of her surprised face Karin smiled and continued.

"We've been going at it ever since he placed me on his team. He chose me. He sought me out and asked me to join him in his quest for revenge."

Sakura's fist clenched.

Karin spoke again. "I know about the night he left your village. You asked for him to take you with him. "

"Shut up"

"He rejected you didn't he?"

"Shut up"

"Left you on a bench"

"Shut up!"

"Admit it Sakura, you were never special. Not as special as I am to Uchiha Sasuke"

With a flick of her finger, Sakura snapped her table in two.

"Get the hell out or you'll meet the same fate as this piece of shit"

Karin smirked at her and left

Sakura slammed her fist on the wall. A crack immediately formed. Damn. She lost this round. She showed Karin how affected she was. Her hand went to her chest. Her heart was pumping hard. A lot of emotions ran through her. Sasuke was not who she thought he was. She knew he was cold. But she didn't know that he was heartless. Sleeping with various women. How many more could he have shared a bed with? Her mind suddenly fills with various images of him and other women. Her heart suddenly hurt.

"Kyou!" she called out. Her assistant came to her door. His face looked scared as he glanced at her office.

"Please arrange for my office to be fixed today. I'm done with the files." She calmly stated

He gulped. "Hai, of course Sakura-sama" he tried not to appear so scared.

At the sight of his shaking hands Sakura frowned.

"Gomen Kyou, I seem to have lost my temper." She smiled. "I'll go make my rounds this afternoon" her face lit up with enthusiasm.

That calmed him down. He bowed his head as she put her white coat on and left the room. When he lifted his head, he sweat dropped at the sight of the damage she had caused. He pictured her smiling face again and blushed. Haruno Sakura was a beautiful girl. He had slowly formed a crush on her like most men. Still, it was really hard to picture someone so pretty turn a room into shambles in a couple of seconds.

He started cleaning up.

* * *

Naruto woke up with a start. He looked at his door. Someone was knocking. Who could be visiting him at such an early hour? He looked at his clock.

11:00 pm.

Er.. .Late hour then.

He got up and scratched his butt. He really wanted to sleep. He didn't want to see anyone right know. His senses became alert when he sensed _her _presence.

'Well, I guess I can make an exception' he thought to himself and opened the door.

"Good evening Sakura-chan!" He looked over her. She was wearing a blue frilly skirt that reached just below her knees and a white tank top. She was carrying a bottle of sake and some groceries.

"Hey Naruto" She smiled mischievously. "Wanna drink with me?"

"Of course" he let her in and she went straight to his kitchen.

"Ew, what is this?" she held her nose as she examined what seemed to be expired milk. It kind of looked like molded cheese stuck on his kitchen sink.

"Gomen, I was planning to clean that." He scratched his head.

"It's okay, I'll clean up and cook you dinner." She said

"Are you trying to make me fall for you Sakura-chan?" he laughed

She turned her head to him with an expression of disbelief.

"Joking. I'll freshen up a bit" he made his way to the bathroom.

When he emerged, the smell of cooked beef and vegetables filled the room. Sakura was already at his table drinking a cup of sake. He sat down across her and simultaneously they said.

"Itadakimasu"

Naruto felt like a lucky man. He was truly blessed. Having a meal that Sakura cooked was a real treat. It was delicious. The table was filled with talk about her job at the hospital and more details about his latest mission. He smiled at her laughing face when he told her about accidentally running into Bee-san and had presented to her the rap they came up with. His face cringed though when she gave him another bag of her "soldier pills". She forced him to eat one after his meal. It tasted really bad. After, they washed the dishes and moved to his couch.

"Now, tell me what's wrong."

"Eh?" her face looked surprise and she slowly turned her head away. She was on her third cup of sake and was feeling a little tipsy.

"I know you don't usually come over without a bit of news Sakura-chan."

She looked at his unmade bed and sighed.

"Naruto, you should learn to fix your bed. Seriously, that should be a habit by now"

"Sakura-chan" His face looked serious.

"I slept with Sasuke-kun" she blurted out.

Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura felt really bad. She didn't know who else she could talk to. It could've been Ino. But she was kind of involved with the issue. And she wasn't back from her mission yet.

"But don't worry. This way, I'll probably get over him"

"Sakura-chan"

"We're just friends."

"Sakura-chan"

"He doesn't care anyway. We'll go on like nothing happened"

"Saku-"

"I asked him to. And I am not entitled to ask more from him"

Naruto grasped her shoulders and shook her. She lifted her face to him.

She was crying. Hard.

Suddenly his arms press her to him. She continued to cry. He hugged her tighter. Sakura was precious to him. He loved her with all his heart. But her eyes were always only looking at one person. He knew this. His heart clenched as she clutched his arms and continued to cry. It's been so long since he had seen her cry like this. The last time she did. Sasuke had left.

Sasuke always made her cry.

He held her in his arms as she cried herself to sleep.

When she finally lost consciousness, he placed her on his bed and tucked her in. He brushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked at her sleeping face. Sakura was really cute. She was important to him. He would do anything for her. He clenched his fists at the thought of that bastard touching her. Sasuke had gone too far.

He hopped off his apartment window and immediately ran to his teammate's apartment. He was going to beat him up. Sasuke will feel the pain he was feeling now even if he had to use the kyuubi's chakra.

However, as Naruto was about to knock on his door he realized something. Sasuke was out on a mission.

That bastard better be prepared for some serious damage when he comes home next week.

.

.

.

"_If I could say what I wanna say, I'd say I wanna blow you away, be with you every night, am I squeezing you too tight?, if I could say what I wanna see, I wanna see you go down on one knee, marry me today. Guess I'm wishing my life away with these things I'll never say__** – **_Things I'll Never Say

tbc

* * *

**AN:** Had a stroke of inspiration. Thank you as always. Please review! :)


	5. Chapter 5: Gonna Get Over You

Disclaimer: Naruto….not….. mine

Chapter Five

**Gonna Get Over You**

"_Goodbye, should be saying that to you by now, shouldn't I? Laying down the law that I live by, though maybe next time"_

– _song by Sara Bareilles_

* * *

Haruno Sakura woke up to a warm and sunny day. The rainy season was finally over. With the end of a dark and gloomy season, a bright and happy one filled with promise was on its way. She smiled. It was the perfect complement to her present mood. She was done feeling sorry for herself. Seven days ago she had cried her heart out at Naruto's apartment. After that she had drank her emotions away in any bar she could find. Today, she is determined to move on. She didn't want to shed anymore tears.

Uchiha Sasuke was someone she would always love.

She stretched her arms out and looked outside her window. A yawn left her mouth. She could hear the birds singing. She could smell the scent of freshly cut grass. It was a good day.

'But maybe it's about time I loved him in a different way.' She thought to herself

She got up and went to her bathroom. She looked at her reflection. Her hands went to her cheeks and pressed them. She was fine. She was going to be okay. She was Haruno Sakura and she deserved to be happy. Sasuke was never really hers to begin with. He was free to do whatever he wanted. So was she.

She changed into a red sleeveless blouse and paired it up with a brown stencil skirt. Her hair was arranged into a half ponytail. After a quick breakfast she took her white coat with her, changed into her usual ninja heels and was out the door. She smiled as the sunshine washed over her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air. When she opened her eyes she set her eyes on the road ahead. With a cheerful step, she made her way towards the hospital.

She was done with going after Sasuke. That is what she said to herself. It would definitely take some time but she will move on. She didn't want to feel pain anymore.

She sighed. Today would be the first step. He was coming home this morning.

Yes, she loved him.

But…

She was going to love him the way a normal teammate would.

* * *

'Bam!'

Sasuke didn't expect the sudden attack. He just got home for Kami's sake! His hand went to his lip and he glared when he saw that he was already bleeding. He groaned as he got up. He was really tired. The mission was successful but it entailed him to use a lot of taijutsu. His body was aching. When he got to his feet, he glared at the person responsible.

"What the hell dobe" he muttered under his breath.

Naruto looked really angry. His aura already had a killer feel to it. Sasuke looked towards his anbu teammates. They looked scared. He took out the scroll he was holding and handed it to one of them.

"Go on ahead. Make the report to Hokage-sama. Tell her I'm dealing with something" he instructed.

Within a matter of seconds the two shinobi were left alone. Sasuke turned to Naruto. His body was already being surrounded by the Kyuubi's chakra. He was prepared to have a serious fight.

Sasuke smirked. He wasn't one to back out of a challenge.

"You knew." Naruto started.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You _know_ how important she is to me"

Sasuke's eyes widened. The idiot was talking about Sakura. Sasuke had thought about the consequences of what they had done. This was one of the possible scenarios that ran through his head. He was sure that once Naruto found out, he would have an annoying confrontation with the blonde ninja. He inwardly cursed. Sakura could've at least kept the night a secret. What happened behind the doors of his room had nothing to do with Team Seven. Not Naruto. Not Kakashi. Not even her. Who else knew about it?

"I'm in love with her" The idiot's confession caused Sasuke to look at him.

"So?" he replied.

Naruto's eyes widened. In an instant his face looked more pissed than it already was. He clenched his fists.

"She loves you" he gritted his teeth.

Sasuke thought about his pink-haired teammate. Sakura was a kind and considerate girl. She always made time for him. She kept making sure that he never felt alone after the war. She even helped him do groceries once in a while. When she saw him coming, her face would always look bright and happy. She was a caring person. She was patient.

Sakura was…

She was ….

A grown woman. She seduced him. Made him take her innocence. But she never said that she loved him. Did she though? If she did….

It would be

Annoying

"I never asked her to" he retorted.

"You didn't have to" Naruto was quick to reply

"She asked me to fuck her"

The use of the word had the blonde ninja's blood boil. Did Sasuke not care at all?

"She doesn't know what she wants." He scoffed.

"You took advantage!" Naruto shouted.

"Any man would." The bastard said emotionlessly.

"Damn it teme! When will you see what's in front of you?!" Naruto summoned a hundred bunshins and had them forming Rasengans. He was suddenly in sage mode. He was dead serious. This battle was going to send them both to the hospital. Sasuke's hand went to the hilt of his katana.

The young Uchiha bowed his head and closed his eyes. He let out a breath. When he lifted his head, his irises held the color of blood.

"Mangekyou Sharingan"

* * *

Sakura's eye twitched when she opened the door to her office. She had just finished making rounds this morning and she was planning to have lunch. Her eyes scanned the state of the two people in her room. She sighed. No wonder why Kyou had a look of sympathy when she came back. Seriously. She was a good medic. Wait, scratch that. She was a brilliant medic but that didn't mean that _they_ had to abuse her abilities as often as they did. She glared.

"Come on you two, we can't keep meeting like this" she said.

"Haha, gomen Sakura-chan, I know you're busy but no one can heal like you do" Naruto was smiling but he said that in a non-teasing tone. He sounded sad. Sakura took note of the burns on his arms. They weren't caused by normal flames.

Sakura turned her head towards Sasuke. She noticed a number of bruises on his arms. He was wearing his anbu gear so she couldn't see parts of his chest. She would bet her beloved dangos that he had sustained a bunch of broken ribs. Naruto had hit him several times with the Rasengan. She made her way towards the Uchiha first. He wasn't facing her. But his position made it pretty obvious. He was in a lot of pain.

"Sasuke, please sit on the examination table."

The dark-haired ninja limped towards it. When he was comfortably seated, she asked him to take off his vest and shirt. She bit her lip when she looked at his thorax. She didn't want to count the number of injuries on him. Broken ribs. Bleeding organs. And he was having trouble breathing. Any normal person would be panicking by now. Sasuke's face however held an expression of complete apathy. Her hands glowed green as she placed her hands over him. Slowly, she began the healing process.

"I thought I told you not to use the Mangekyou for a while" she said.

Sasuke sighed and didn't say anything in return. The room was suddenly filled with silence. Even Naruto didn't have the energy to make conversation. When Sakura was done with fixing any life threatening injuries she calmly stated.

"I'll tend to Naruto next. Please wait for a while. I need to take a look at your eyes again."

Sasuke got up and stretched. Then, he walked towards the nearest chair and sat down.

"Come on Naruto, your turn." Sakura nodded to her blonde friend.

Naruto wasn't limping but she could tell that the burns on his arms were hurting him. His chest had burns as well but they weren't as extensive as the ones on his extremities. Sasuke had avoided the vital points. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Amaterasu. Black flames that refused to stop burning unless the owner commanded them to. Sakura could just imagine the attack. They had intimidated her when she saw him use it during the war. Naruto must have been in sage mode when he received the burns. If he wasn't and Sasuke had used the jutsu with the intention of killing him then he would be in a more life-threatening state.

"What were you thinking? Attacking with the intent to inflict serious damage?" she questioned Naruto. He chuckled and bowed his head.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan. Just a normal brawl between two rivals" he lied.

Sakura saw through it but she decided not to push him. Naruto wasn't often so serious like this. Whenever he was, Sakura knew she couldn't fix it straightaway. Maybe she'll treat him to ramen later. She was relieved that they had the sense to stop fighting when they did. Taking the battle further would have left one of them dead on her table. Her hands shook at the thought. Naruto noticed this.

"It's okay Sakura-chan. Really. Men beat each other up when they're pissed off. It doesn't mean that we're gonna kill each other behind your back. Right teme?" he finally joked.

Sasuke just nodded his head. This served to calm her down. At least they were still friends.

Her hands glowed with her chakra.

"Ah, nothing beats Sakura-chan's touch" Naruto closed his eyes and relaxed.

Sakura blushed at the compliment. The tension in the room suddenly dissipated. Even Sasuke seemed calmer than a few minutes ago.

"Idiot" she muttered.

* * *

When she was done with healing Naruto, Kyou peaked inside the room and told him that he was being summoned by the Hokage. With a quick thank you and another invitation for a spar with the Uchiha he left.

She was alone with Sasuke.

Again.

Sakura tried to calm her nerves. She should try to get used to not looking at him like before. Try to avoid approaching him with the intention of making him fall for her. She made her way towards him and sat down in front of him.

"So, how was your mission?" she started the conversation.

"Classified" he muttered.

She tried to fight down the irritation at his reply. Her lips forced itself to smile.

"How are your eyes then?"

Sasuke immediately closed them and Sakura took this as the cue to begin their session. She placed her hands on his head and explored the anatomy of his eyes. She clicked her tongue when she noticed one artery nearing its rupture. Her chakra passed over it to start the healing. She let out another sound of disapproval when she saw one of the nerves she recently healed seriously damaged. She turned her attention to it then. She directed her chakra at all the recent damage she discovered. It took two hours before she was finally done.

She opened her eyes and stood up to get her notebook. Her thoughts were filled with notes on the state of Sasuke's eyes. She had only done emergency treatment. He was going to have trouble with blurred vision again. She was disappointed. They were already nearing the end of their sessions and he had just pushed their time further to a couple more months.

When she turned to him to share the news, she paused.

Sasuke was examining her.

* * *

When Uchiha Sasuke closed his eyes his head was filled with thoughts about Haruno Sakura. He wondered what made several men worship her. Even her assistant was obviously smitten with her. Sasuke had noticed this the first time he met the young man when he and Naruto visited her. But his feelings weren't as significant as the others. She had a long line of fans. Some were a little bit too pushy but she had always put them in their place. He knew Lee had fallen for her when they were twelve. The bushy eyebrowed nin still proclaimed his love for her as often as he could. He had even heard Akimichi Kaito mention her beauty to the bartender more than once. Yes, Sakura was indeed greatly admired.

He opens his eyes as he feels her leave his presence. His eyes follow her.

However, she was really too naïve sometimes. She didn't even know the extent of Naruto's feelings for her. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the thought. Naruto was too devoted to her really. She was one of the reasons they formed this intense rivalry in the first place. The blonde idiot had wanted to impress her.

He paused. Sakura had told the kyuubi vessel about that night. Didn't she know how badly this was going to hurt him? He lost his train of thought when she turned to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Sasuke glared at her then.

"You told him"

The look of surprise confirmed to him that she wasn't even aware that she was the cause of their fight.

"I'm sorry. I didn't have anyone else to.."

"He loves you" he interrupted her.

"I, I know, Gomen, I didn't think he would..."

"He's _in love _with you" he cut her off again.

Sakura's eyes widened. She bowed her head. Guilt suddenly fills her. So that's why her two teammates had battled fiercely today. Naruto was pissed at Sasuke for sleeping with her. Sakura bit her lip. She had always known that Naruto had a crush on her but she didn't realize that it had turned into something deeper. She was really an idiot.

"I don't want your love"

The next statement makes her look at him. Sasuke was still glaring at her.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore Sasuke" she smiles.

She turns away and cleans up the blood from the table. She feels the weight of his stare on her back. She tries hard to appear unaffected.

"You're probably going to experience some blurred vision once in a while. Your battle today has caused some of the nerves I have already healed to tear. Our sessions will take longer than I originally planned." she decides to shift the topic.

"Aa. Gomen." His apology surprises her. She turns to look at him. He seemed genuinely sorry. But for what? She looks away. She lets out a grin.

"It's okay really. But, I forbid you from using Mangekyou for the next two months" she instructed.

He nods his head and she asks him if he needs anything else. He shook his head. When he finally leaves the room she turns to look at the empty chair. She inwardly patted herself at the back. She did good today.

* * *

_  
When Sasuke arrived at his apartment he went straight to his bathroom and took a long bath. He sighed as he relaxed into the tub. He was really tired. The strain of his aching muscles slowly began to disappear. Naruto really drained his energy with the fight this morning. He groaned at the sudden pain he felt when he bent his knees. The water splashed outside the tub.

His thoughts suddenly lead him to the night Sakura had used the same tub. He remembers her face when she asked him to sleep with her. The sight of her shaking hands that proved to him that she was nervous. He could still feel the softness of her skin as his hands touched her. Still hear the sweetness of her voice when she called out to him.

He stops himself from thinking any further. He was just feeling horny.

He closed his eyes. What he said to her was cruel. But he had to do it. He wanted to discourage her from falling for him. He had no desire to be in a relationship. Sasuke sighed. He didn't want anything to complicate things within his team.

He was only beginning to feel like he belonged again.

He opened his eyes when he suddenly realized something.

Sakura had called him "Sasuke".

He tried not dwell too much on the absence of the suffix.

* * *

"_And I'm not the girl that I intend to be. I dare you darling just you wait and see. But this time not for you but just for me"_

- Gonna Get Over You.

Tbc

**AN: **I had other plans for this chapter but I had to write the confrontation scene first. I know it's kind of short but I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thank you for your reviews and support.


	6. Chapter 6: Quiet

Disclaimer: If I owned the series I would make sure that we fans get what we want. But alas, I do not. Let's just hope ;) I'm sorry it took longer than usual. Was out on vacation.

Chapter Six

**Quiet**

"_I'm not yours and you're not mine but we could sit and pass the time. No fighting wars, no ringing chimes. We're just feeling fine._"

– song by Lights

* * *

Naruto exited the Hokage's office and let out a sigh. He was being assigned another mission. However, this assignment was personal. He clenched his fist and tried to stop himself from being too emotional. It was the first time he had seen Tsunade in such a state. He could just imagine how Sakura was feeling. He didn't think that it was _that _bad already. The Fifth Hokage had been hiding in her office for a reason.

'So that's why most missions nowadays were sent through hawk messages' he thought to himself. If anyone else saw her in her current state they would definitely be scared for her.

The kyuubi vessel closed his eyes and tried to picture her as she always was. Young looking, strong as hell and with the attitude to match. He tried to erase the person who revealed herself to him for the first time. Old and wrinkly, weak, defeated in her fate in this world but determined to do all she could for her village. He thought about what had just transpired in her office.

"_I have one final mission for you before I finally give my position to Kakashi." She started._

"_Whatever it is Tsunade baa-chan, I'm sure I'll come back victorious" he proudly stated._

"_I need you to find your Master's body" _

_Naruto's smile disappeared. He tried to keep his emotions in check. Jiraiya's body had disappeared a long time ago and he wasn't one of the people who were brought back by the Edo-tensei. Wherever his body was, it would surely be hard to find. His master's death happened more than a year ago. What made her think that he could retrieve it now?_

"_I know what you're thinking. Why now? Something has surfaced. My spies have sent me information this afternoon that they might have found a lead to the whereabouts of his body."_

"_Where is it?"_

"_Near the village of Sound. It seems that some lowly ninjas have discovered it and have been selling it as a trophy." Tsunade's face looked like she was about to kill. Naruto knew that she personally wanted to beat the crap out of those ninjas._

"_As you can see" She turned her chair to him and removed her hokage's hat. "I am too weak to go there myself" _

_Naruto's eyes widened and he tried to hold in the surprise. Calmly, he placed his arms behind his head. With a huff he said._

"_Wow, you really look like a baa-chan now"_

_Tsunade laughed and slowly got up to go near him. He waited for her to finally reach him. The blonde nin looked at her and before he could evade it, he felt the punch. Damn! Even if Tsunade was like a grandma now, she could still hit like Sakura. Naruto held his palm to his face and glared at her. _

"_What the hell was that for you old lady!"_

_Tsunade had a scary expression on her and her aura seemed more dangerous._

"_Call me an old lady again and I'll send you to the hospital. And don't even count on Sakura healing you. I'll tell her myself to let you suffer." Her face looked menacing_

_They glared at each other for a while. The room was filled with sparks of anger. _

_Naruto suddenly laughed out loud. This was good. She was still lively. Tsunade's face lit up with a smile as well. _

'_Seriously, the youth of today. They were all so very loud and emotional' she thought._

_Her smile grew wider as she looked at the future Seventh Hokage. He was really something. Uzumaki Naruto. He was loud. Disgusting. Reckless and far too immature to become the leader of her people. But he had an enormous heart. So enormous that people couldn't help but love him as he was. An idiot ninja who wanted to become Hokage. The hero of their nation. The person they looked up to for their future. And it was going to be a bright and happy future. _

_Too bad she wouldn't be there to see it._

_She stopped herself from feeling sad for herself. She had lived a long and prosperous life. She lost a lot of comrades and a number of loved ones. It wasn't so bad. She was leaving this world but the one she was heading to had people who were waiting for her. And she was looking forward to the reunion. _

"_Furthermore, I have assigned Hyuuga Hinata to accompany you during your mission"_

_Naruto stopped laughing and looked to the blonde sannin._

"_You know I can handle this mission myself"_

"_Naruto, this is too personal. If you go in their alone, you might find yourself unprepared." She sounded serious._

"_Besides we are not certain as to the location of their hideout. Hyuuga might be of big help." she explained further._

_Naruto observed her for a while. He shrugged his shoulders. This was an argument he wouldn't be able to win. Besides, she was right. _

_He wouldn't be able to do this alone._

"_Now, you are dismissed. I feel Sakura coming I'll drink some sake before she arrives." She added. She grabbed a cup, poured some alcohol in it then drank it in one go._

And that was how Naruto left her. Really, that old lady loved her sake. At least that part hasn't changed. He let out another sigh. Hinata was going with him. He scratched his head. After the war, he had tried to avoid the blue-haired heiress like the plague. After all, he could no longer ignore her feelings for him. She made it very clear how she felt about him and he was grateful for her support. Her presence by his side during the war had been a strong pillar he held on to. Her belief in him still astonished him. Hyuuga Hinata was an important friend.

However, with regards to his feelings for her, he wasn't so sure. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't considered it. Hinata deserved a reply to her confession. But, Naruto was afraid of hurting her. Because no matter how much he tried his feelings for a certain teammate would never go away.

Speaking of the devil, she was making her way towards the Hokage's office.

He gave her a huge grin as she noticed him.

His heart skipped a beat when she answered him with a smile as well.

His hands began to shake as she walked towards him.

Yes.

He couldn't tell Hinata his reply.

If he did.

She would have her heart broken.

The reason was pretty obvious.

.

.

.

Uzumaki Naruto was in love with Haruno Sakura.

* * *

As Sakura was making her way towards her shishou's office, she thought about what happened in _her_ office a while ago.

"_I don't want your love"_

Sasuke's words made her heart hurt. But she didn't want to show him how much it did. If he didn't want her love then he didn't really deserve it in the first place. But seriously, was Uchiha Sasuke a child? A person doesn't stop loving another just because that person did not want them to. Love came no matter who the recipient was. Even if he or she wasn't worthy of such dedication.

She looked up as she saw Naruto round a corner from the Hokage's office. His grin was instantaneous.

"_He's in love with you."_

She smiled back. Naruto was a great comrade. He was someone she could depend on and she wasn't the only one who thought so. The shinobi who fought during the war felt the same way. He was their leader. They loved him so much.

Sakura inwardly sighed. She didn't deserve his love. Not when she could never reciprocate his feelings. They had too much history in them and she always saw him differently. He was kind of like an otoutou and an oni-san at the same time.

And she loved Sasuke too much. Even if the dark-haired nin didn't want her to.

Even if _she_ didn't want to love him anymore.

"Hey Naruto, how are your injuries?" she greeted

"All healed thanks to you Sakura-chan"

"I was thinking of treating you to ramen later to cheer you up" she smiled at him.

"Uwaaaah. That would be great!" Naruto's love for ramen was something she could never understand. But she wanted to abuse the knowledge as much as she could.

"Could you wait for me for a while? I have to do a check-up on Tsunade-shishou" she added. She proceeded to the room around the corner.

"Sakura-chan! Baa-chan has been drinking sake again!" he called out from behind her.

Sakura glared and she stomped her way towards her master's office. How many times did she have to repeat it? Sake was toxic! Lady Tsunade was in for some lecturing. She opened the door roughly but what she saw stopped her in her tracks.

Her shishou was coughing madly.

Sakura immediately went to her master and patted her back. She took out some tissues and gave them to her. A bucket filled with water was then placed on the table. Her hands glowed with chakra as she passed them over Tsunade's back. Too much consolidation. She focused as she slowly removed the mucus she found in her master's airway in the same way she drained Kankurou's body of poison. This wasn't the first time she did this for the blonde nin. Her immune system was inefficient as of the moment and she experienced cough and colds so very often these days. Her brow creased over in worry. She needed to put her plan into action. She had done a lot of research with regards to her master's condition. Her kidneys were failing due to inflammation so she had put her on medications that would help in reducing the effects of her body's defenses. The problem was, by suppressing those normal functions, other opportunistic infections began to develop. She was at a standstill as to what else she was going to do. That is why her readings led her to a certain plant which may help her master recover.

The Seikatsu no Hana.

The flower of life.

If her readings were accurate, the plant could fight off any kind of infection which will enable her to use her previous decoctions to minimize the inflammation in her master's kidneys which will eventually slow the failing process. Her eyes filled with determination.

Tsunade may have accepted her fate. But Sakura refused to let her beloved trainer fade away without her trying to cure the disease which was draining the hokage's energy. She wanted to see the youthful appearance her master prided herself in once again.

When Tsunade's coughing subsided, Sakura placed her in a comfortable position and gave her some water to drink.

"Shishou, please don't drink alcohol anymore"

"Hai hai"

"We both know you don't mean that" Sakura sighed.

"I'm sorry Sakura. If you take away your Master's privilege to drink, you're taking away her happiness as well"

"I guess you're right." Sakura sounded defeated.

"Don't worry so much my dear apprentice. I have lived well pass the expected"

"I refuse to let you die. That's the purpose of this visit"

Tsunade turned to her. She had her full attention.

"I've done a bit of research. Seikatsu no Hana. A lot of medics have used it to fight off infection. With this I can continue putting you on treatment to reduce the stress your kidney is in. And if some rumors are true, it can fight off any toxin in your body as well which may even make those other medications unnecessary" Sakura smiled.

Tsunade raised her eyebrows. Her apprentice was amazing. She had come across that certain plant as well. Her research which was over twenty years ago had led her to find a bit of information on it. If Sakura had read about it then she must have gone through tons of books. The young medic did not want to give up on her. The Godaime sighed. Haruno Sakura had her stubbornness. Even if she told her not to, she would find a way to retrieve the plant anyway.

"When are you leaving for the Village of Mist?" Sakura's wide eyes told her that she didn't expect her master to know where she was going.

"So you've heard of it?"

"Yes, I was able to come across it once during a mission"

"Why didn't you tell me that it existed? I could have added it to your treatment immediately!" Sakura's eyes were filled with emotion. Did her master want to die that badly?

"Sakura, listen carefully. I don't want you to go that far. The plant is well hidden and is located far from civilization. It might be in the village of the Mist but the mountain it is located in is far too dangerous. There are a lot of poisonous creatures living there. I almost lost a teammate once to a sting from what seemed like a harmless bee. Whatever is in that mountain, not a lot of information was obtained due to the risks involved in climbing it"

"Mount Doku. A mountain of poison." Sakura smirked. "Sounds like a challenge shishou"

"Sakura!" Tsunade glared.

"You're not stopping me. I'm going there whether you like it or not." Sakura held her stare.

Tsunade gave up. "Fine, you're so stubborn." She laughed. Sakura let out a grin.

"However, I'm not letting you go in there alone."

Sakura looked surprised.

"I'm assigning a member of Anbu to accompany you."

"Fine"

"Okay then, please tell Uchiha Sasuke that I have assigned him this mission. I will send over a hawk with the details."

"Shishou!"

"Is there a problem? The mission will take at least a week. You don't want to miss a session with him right?" Her master's eyes held a glint of mischief in them.

"I'm leaving in two days then."

"Have fun" Tsunade winked.

With a groan Sakura left the office.

Her shoulders hunched over. Well at least she could try to be civilized with Sasuke during this mission. Even if he was acting like a bastard, they had good chemistry when it came to missions. She had concluded that when they had gone on a few after the war. But that was before she went and slept with him. Would that change things? She let out a sound of frustration.

"Kami-sama, you're testing me aren't you?" she whispered bitterly.

She smiled as she saw Naruto waiting for her in the hallway.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke groaned as he saw the message attached to the hawk. It was 7 pm and the scratching of the bird's claws against his window woke him up from his exhausted slumber. He let the bird in and gave it some sunflower seeds which he often left in his dresser for this very purpose. The hokage rarely summoned anyone in her presence and had taken a liking to using her hawks instead. He petted the gentle creature for a while then took the message out.

"You are to report to the gates of the Village in 2 days time. Leave at 5 am. Haruno Sakura will fill you in the other details to your mission.

Your target: the Seikatsu no Hana.

The location: Mount Doku of the Land of Mist

Estimated length of time: At least a week

Prepare yourself with antidotes to any kind of poison you know.

The Mizukage will accommodate you when you arrive.

And Uchiha, make sure Haruno Sakura doesn't push herself too hard."

Sasuke closed the message and watched as the hawk flew away. So he was going on a mission with Sakura huh? A poisonous mountain. He stood up and stretched. He went to his bathroom and had a quick shower. After brushing his teeth he shaved his stubble. His gaze fell to the tub again and he inwardly scolded himself. If he didn't stop lingering on the thought of a woman in his bathroom then he would definitely arrange for that tub to be removed. He glared at his reflection in the mirror. What the hell was he doing? Thinking about _her _whenever his mind pleases.

Sleeping with her was a bad decision. It made him guilty and it made him aware. Aware that she was soft and all woman. Being involved with someone close to you was complicated. That's why his arrangement with Ino was... convenient. He sighed and ran a hand over his chicken-butt hair. Sakura was too important and he had hurt her.

She was a hindrance. Really really annoying.

The Hokage didn't want her to push herself too hard. He couldn't be wrong about his conclusion. He had a feeling this mission was quite personal to the pink-haired nin.

He changed into casual clothes, a black shirt with the usual high collar and black pants. He wore his usual nin sandals and left his apartment. Sasuke walked to Ichiraku's. Maybe Naruto was there. He wanted to have a serious talk with the dobe. And maybe Sakura as well.

He wanted to apologize for what he had done.

When he arrived, Sakura was alone. Slowly, he made his way towards her

* * *

When Naruto walked alongside Sakura he noticed that something was off about her. She seemed guarded and too aware of her surroundings. She was humming a soft tune but her hands were fidgeting. It was like she was holding something back.

"Sakura-chan, I know when something's wrong. Is it about Tsunade baa-chan?"

Her back stiffened and she looked at him. Her smile was completely fake.

"Nothing's wrong. She's doing well"

"Stop lying, you know it's pointless" he studied her face. He hated it when Sakura lied.

"Fine, her health. It's getting worse. I'll be going on a mission the day after tomorrow Naruto. It will be dangerous but I have to find a cure to her disease"

"Do you need me to accompany you? My mission can wait"

"What? No, I know about your latest mission. It has something to do with your master right? I saw Jiraiya-sama's picture on her desk when I arrived just a while ago. Am I correct?" Sakura was really perceptive. It no longer surprised him.

"She wants me to retrieve his body"

"Wow, I didn't expect that. But why now?" she asked

"They're selling it like a trophy" he clenched his fist. She could see the anger brimming in his eyes. Sakura narrowed hers. What a terrible thing to do! If her master's body was being treated that way she would come in with the intent to kill. And she wouldn't care how many lives she had to take.

"Do you need me to come with you? I'll kick their asses." she offered

Naruto laughed. Sakura was really kind. "It's okay Sakura-chan. I guess the both of us have to do what we can for our Masters"

"Hmm... You're right" Her smile was still untruthful though.

"There's something else"

"Well, well, aren't you becoming too observant?" she giggled.

Naruto waited for her reply.

"She assigned Sasuke to accompany me" her face looked worried and she bit her lip as if she was stopping herself from saying anything further.

"What happened when I left you this afternoon?" he inquired.

"Nothing"

"Sakura-chan"

She sighed.

And looked at him seriously.

She looked like she was about to cry.

"He told me that you were in love with me"

His footsteps halted but Sakura kept walking. She bowed her head and stopped a few steps away from him. However, she seemed like she was miles away.

Naruto gritted his teeth. And he stared at the ground. He looked up to find Sakura still rooted to the same spot. Her arms were around her and she was shaking. His chest suddenly felt heavy. Without thinking, he closed the distance and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

Sakura froze. She didn't expect this. She wanted him to deny it. To say that Sasuke was lying. She blushed as she felt Naruto's arms tighten. She didn't realize that he had grown so much physically. He was at least two inches taller than her and had her body pressed to his so easily. A man.

"Would it be wrong if I was?" he whispered to her

"Naruto…"

"Because he's right. I am in love with you" His face nuzzled her hair.

"I…"

Before she could reply, Naruto turned her in his arms and kissed her. Her eyes widened. Her lips remained closed. Her body shook as she tried to fight the tears from falling. Hurting Naruto was the last thing she wanted to do. She placed her hands on his chest and fisted them in his shirt. She wanted to push him away but she was afraid to.

Afraid to see the hurt in his eyes

Afraid to watch him walk away from her

Afraid to break his heart

She closed her eyes and tried to respond. But before she was able to, he pulled away and hugged her tightly.

"But you will never see me that way will you?" His voice was shaking. She felt his emotions. She hugged him back.

"I'm sorry" she let her tears fall.

"I love you but..." her lips were quivering

"I know" he interrupted her

"I wish I did"

"I know"

"I'm sorry… so sorry"

Naruto's shirt was wet with her tears as the love of his life apologized continuously. She had nothing else to say but "I'm sorry". He knew she would never love him the way he wanted her to. Her love for him was different. He accepted it but hated it at the same time. Her heart will always belong to someone else. And even if it didn't belong to Uchiha Sasuke, he was sure that Sakura would never fall for him in this lifetime. He let go of his emotions. Slowly, tears fell as well.

"I'm sorry too" he sighed.

* * *

Sakura nibbled on the noodles in front of her. She chewed slowly and swallowed. Staring at her bowl of ramen she began to play with the fish cakes. She breathed deeply. An hour ago Naruto confessed to her. After crying in each other's arms for a couple more minutes he pulled away and told her that he wasn't so hungry anymore. She accepted his excuse and understood the distance he wanted between them.

Sakura sighed. That hurt a lot. What she did was horrible. She would understand if he didn't want to see her for a while.

"You shouldn't be playing with your food"

The sound of his soft baritone made her look at him. There was Uchiha Sasuke standing still with his hands in his pockets. His eyes surveyed his surroundings.

"Well, I can once in a while right?" she smiled at him.

He turned to look at her again. She could see the subtle shift of the emotions in his eyes when he noticed her face.

"That obvious huh?" she muttered.

He took the stool next to her and gave his order. While waiting, the table was filled with silence. Sakura continued to play with her fish cake. Pushing it in the broth then waiting for it to come back up and repeating the whole process.

When his order arrived and he snapped his chopsticks in two he turned to her.

"Where's Naruto?"

She started slurping her noodles and ignored his question. Again, silence fell over them as they finished their meal. After, they paid for both their bills and without another word she stood up and left the establishment.

Sasuke sat for a while thinking about what the right thing to do was. Sakura seemed like she didn't want to talk to anyone. However, she also seemed like someone who could use some company. He stood up and followed her.

It took less than a few seconds for him to catch up to her and he adjusted his stride to hers. She turned to look at him but he ignored her and continued walking.

"What are you doing?" she mimicked the words he used the night she came to him without any clothes on. If she was aware of it, he didn't know.

He said nothing. What was he doing? He asked himself. His thoughts led him to that night again.

"Is there something wrong with your eyes?" her face looked genuinely concerned and he suddenly stopped to look at her. Her footsteps halted as well.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Why shouldn't I be nice to you Sasuke?" There it was again, she omitted the –kun

"I said cruel words" he muttered under his breath. His eyes shifted to the ground. He missed the brief change in her eyes.

"Which ones?" her face inclined to the side.

"I used you…"

Sakura paused.

"I wanted to be used. I wanted to become special for one night" he looked at her.

"But I realized I was lying to myself. I knew that night that I would be just another notch in your bedpost, just some random girl" she smiled.

Sasuke couldn't believe it. To what extent did his teammates extend their forgiveness to him? He felt like he didn't deserve it. The wind blew Sakura's hair to the side and he was rewarded by the sight of her long slender neck. He remembers its taste as he sucked on it when he was thrusting deep and hard. The feel of it soft and hot as it pulsed when she moaned. He looked at _her_ then. Her face still held a childlike innocence. The type that made him think that she was someone who needed protecting. Except that she wasn't. Sakura did the protecting most of the time. Sasuke sighed.

"Sakura, you would never be just some random girl"

She turned to him and smiled widely.

"Thank you" She turned away and looked to the sky.

"I don't regret that night Sasuke" she whispered. He could barely hear her voice. But, he caught her words.

"There are a lot of stars out tonight huh?" She added enthusiastically and grinned at him.

Sasuke looked up as well and agreed with her. The sky was bright with the lights emitting from the stars above. It was calming.

"Aa"

She smiled at him again. Together they enjoyed the comfortable silence.

When Sasuke arrived home that night he was greeted by the sight of someone he hadn't seen in a while.

"Ino"

"Sasuke-kun, I didn't think you would come home so late"

She lets her robe fall and walks seductively towards him. He stays rooted to the same spot as she wraps her arms around him and starts kissing his neck.

"Sasuke, I want you"

She tiptoed and pressed her lips to his.

He takes her to his room.

* * *

"_This is where we're supposed to be. Sitting by a broken tree. No tragedy, no poetry. Just staring at the sky" – Quiet_

tbc

**AN: **You may have noticed that each chapter title is a song that reflects the mood of the events in the story. I listen to my playlist whenever I'm looking for inspiration. If you have any song suggestions which you think will suit the direction I'm going with then you are very welcome to tell me. I'll try to see if it matches what I'm thinking.

A lot of people asked me to pair Sakura up with someone. I've been thinking of one particular person. I guess it's pretty obvious who it isn't. Many suggested Gaara but I was looking for a character who contrasted Uchiha Sasuke well. :D

And, I'm planning to put Hinata somewhere in here soon but she's not really vital to the story. (Gomen!) I'll think about it.

As for Ino, I actually like her character despite her being the "other woman". But, I'm glad to have seen such strong feelings about her betrayal. I'm really hoping that by the end of this story no one will hate her as much. :D

Thank you for all your reviews :D I was very happy to read them. :)

I'll try to update as soon as I can.


	7. Chapter 7: Just Be Friends

**Disclaimer:** Is anyone else excited about the latest Naruto chapters? I always feel happy whenever I see Sakura in action. And Sasuke is getting hotter by the minute. :D Anyway, Naruto isn't mine unfortunately. :D I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. It took longer than usual. :D

Chapter Seven

**Just Be Friends**

"_I had known at the very deepest depths of my heart that the best choice was the hardest from the very start. It keeps on opposing me, since I know my love cannot be." _

_– song by vocaloid Megurine Luka_

* * *

Sakura leapt from tree to tree. Her hand grasped a branch and propelled her forward. While she was soaring, she closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air. She loved this part during missions. Travelling was one of her favorite times. She anticipated the feeling of rush that went through her lungs as she ran towards her destination. She lived for the excitement that had her heart pumping as she faced the dangers ahead. It was a good day. The weather was perfect for travel. Actually, the day itself would've been perfect if she didn't feel so nervous. She looked behind her and frowned.

Sasuke was acting like a stranger. He had his anbu mask on and had not said one word ever since they left the village gates. She felt disappointed. Weren't they supposed to get along during this mission? What was he so angry about? Did it have something to do with what had happened before they started the mission? She inwardly cringed. Maybe she should've kept her mouth shut.

…

A few hours ago.

"My lovely Sakura! Please accept this parting gift!" Sakura turned to find Rock Lee running towards her with a bouquet of flowers. Red roses. Tons of them. Her eyes almost fell out of her sockets as she stared shocked at the craziness of the situation. She was about to leave for a mission for Kami's sake! What made him think that she would be able to take all of those with her?

Sasuke's eye widened at the display as well. Was this guy stupid or something? He continued to observe the scene in front of him.

"Lee-san, this really isn't necessary." She placed her hands in front of her as he approached her.

"But Sakura-san, this is the first time in a long time that you have gone on a dangerous mission since the Fourth War." He loudly stated. His voice was extra loud today. Sasuke tried not to narrow his eyes at the annoyance he felt.

Sakura placed her hands on her hips and glared at the green beast. "What are you trying to say?" she cocked an eyebrow.

Sasuke smirked. He was about to see an interesting event. Sakura did not like it when people underestimated her. He vaguely remembered one escort mission wherein a perverted daimyo continued to complain about being protected by a girl.

"_A pretty babe like you shouldn't be fighting scary ninjas. Come sit on my lap and amuse me." _The old man had stated with an ugly leer. Sasuke had to hold back the urge to send a fireball his way. Sakura however looked as if she hadn't heard a word the client had said. He smirked as he recalled the face that idiot had when Sakura threw a boulder at an enemy that ambushed them. Her strength surprised people. It was entertaining to watch.

"I am deeply concerned for Konoha's Beautiful Cherry blossom. Thy beauty shall not be forgotten even if your presence is no longer with us." Sakura rolled her eyes and Sasuke scoffed.

"Please take this and think of me." He pushed the flowers into her hands. He stepped away from her and looked at her fondly.

"Lee-san" Sakura adjusted the bouquet in her hands and smiled at him. The male shinobi's cheeks immediately reddened.

"Arigatou."

Sakura was turning away from him when suddenly, Rock Lee moved very fast and in a blink of an eye had her hands in his. Sasuke caught the movement but Sakura was too surprised to react. The flowers fell with a light thump. The taijutsu master surprised them further when he kissed both her hands.

Sakura gasped and Sasuke clicked his tongue. Before he could stop himself he calmly stated.

"You know damn well she can't take the flowers with her"

Sakura turned to him with a look of warning. Lee stood up straight and looked towards him. Slowly he positioned himself into a stance Sasuke had never seen before. He glared at the Uchiha.

"You! Vile tempter of the angel of my dreams. I will teach you a lesson you will never forget!" he loudly claimed

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and slowly turned to Rock Lee. This should be fun. He was interested to know more about this technique. He activated his Sharingan. His hand went to his katana. He adjusted his grip as he prepared to attack. Before he was able to draw his sword, a hand stopped him.

"He's drunk Sasuke" Sakura interfered.

The nin hiccupped on cue and started to walk in an unusual gait towards him. Sasuke stood there as bushy brows' steps came closer. Before the drunken master could attack, Sakura blocked his way and placed her hands on his forehead. In a second, he lost consciousness.

Sasuke blinked and watched as she caught Lee's body in her arms.

"Oi Lee!" Tenten's frantic voice could be heard as she made her way towards them. She looked tired. When she finally reached them she bent down and placed her hands on her knees. She was catching her breath.

"Hi Tenten" Sakura greeted.

Sasuke nodded to her in acknowledgement

"Hey Sakura. Sasuke" she greeted them in return. "Thank you for finally stopping him."

"No problem" Sakura smiled.

"Can you give him to me?" The brunette grinned wide.

Sakura handed the unconscious shinobi to his teammate. Before she could stop her however, Tenten fisted her hands in Lee's shirt and started shaking him hard. Her glare was almost comical.

"Oiiiii ! Lee! You Idiot! You made me chase you around the whole night!" she continued to shake him.

"Tenten, that's not really a… "Before Sakura could finish her sentence Lee sat up and vomited on his female comrade. Tenten remained still. Her face was drained of color.

"Graaaaaaah! When you wake up you're in for a beating!" she yelled. She stomped off dragging her teammate by the back of his shirt. Lee regained a bit of his consciousness and clumsily waved at Sakura.

Sakura just waved back and laughed. Her laugh sounded childlike and happy. Sasuke observed her for a while and shook his head. The movement did not go unnoticed.

"What?" she asked still smiling. She bent down to pick up Lee's gift.

"You know you can't take that with you" He pointed to the flowers in her hands.

"But he gave them to me" she pouted.

"Hn"

"Fine, you're such a spoil sport." She jogged towards an old lady who was doing her morning walk. The baa-chan accepted her flowers and wished her a good day.

"You really should be clearer with them" he said as they walked towards the Village gates.

"Hm?" she turned to him with a questioning look.

"Your admirers." He replied. Sakura laughed at this.

"Especially Rock Lee." he added. She caught the meaning in his words.

"What? He doesn't …" Sakura stopped talking when Sasuke looked at her with an expression that dared her to deny it. "I've been firm with my …admirers as you put it..."

"You don't reject the people you're friends with" he answered. Sasuke noticed this in the few months since he returned to Konoha. Sakura usually shut down people who were interested with her. However, when it came to her friends she acted like she usually did. She was kind to all of them. Rock Lee and especially Naruto. It was like she didn't know their feelings for her.

Sakura paused.

She bowed her head and looked away. "I did though" she whispered. Her footsteps slowed down.

Sasuke stopped and looked at her. His face was asking her the question he didn't feel like asking.

"Naruto confessed to me"

His eyes widened.

"All I could say was sorry" She looked like she was about to cry as she recalled the event.

Sasuke observed his female teammate. She really looked sad. She was probably feeling guilty about hurting Naruto. He felt sorry for the dobe. She seemed to have really hurt him. He knew exactly how the pink-haired nin felt. He didn't feel like a good friend when he rejected her love. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped when slim arms suddenly wrapped around his. Annoyed, he looked down to see long blonde hair.

"You didn't tell me you were leaving today Sasuke-kun"

"Hey Ino-pig"

"Oh, Hi Sakura. Didn't see you there." the blonde shinobi faked a smile at her best friend slash rival. She was clearly lying. Sasuke sighed.

"Unfortunately I saw your big butt the second you latched your arm onto my teammate" Sakura's eye twitched. Ino glared back.

Deciding that he didn't really want to waste time listening to women banter each other, he shrugged Ino's hold off and proceeded to make his way to the gates.

Sakura noticed the look of hurt that passed over her friend's eyes. She looked at her then turned to look at Uchiha Sasuke. The dark-haired nin didn't even so much as say a hello to her friend. He was being a complete jerk. Who the hell did he think he was? Her lips moved on their own accord.

"Oi. That is not how you treat a girl." Sasuke's footsteps faltered a bit but continued to put distance between them. Sakura looked at her blonde friend and saw the look of appreciation she sent her way. Sakura smiled at her.

"Ino, I want to talk with you when I get back from our mission." She took the steps to hug her friend. "I'm sorry but we have to get going" Without another word she turned towards Sasuke and caught up with him.

When she reached his side she nudged him with an elbow. He looked at her with an annoyed expression. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin up.

"You were being an ass"

He didn't answer her and continued walking.

"It's not nice to play with a girl's heart" she added

He ignored her.

"Sasuke, are you listening?" She huffed

The change in his name picked at his patience. What happened to _Sasuke-kun? _He halted and turned to look at her. She was looking at the ground and didn't even notice his abrupt stop. He caught her wrist when she was about to walk a few steps too far. Sakura turned to him with a look of surprise.

"It's none of your business." He glared at her.

She glared at him back. "So it's okay for you to advise me on my affairs with my admirers but I'm not allowed to lecture you when you're hurting my friend?"

"I don't care" he let go of her wrist and started on the same path again.

"But I do! You said that I didn't reject my friends. It's because I do not want to see them hurt. And that applies to Yamanaka Ino." She called out.

Sasuke decided to ignore her again.

"Sasuke!" she yelled.

He blocked out her voice. Sakura confused him. Was Naruto lying to him when he said that their female teammate was in love with him? Coz if he wasn't and she did indeed love him it sure didn't seem like it. She was acting like his relationship with Ino didn't affect her at all. Hell she was even taking her friend's side. It annoyed him. Women were so damn confusing. One moment they're directing insults at each other and the next they're hugging. She didn't have anything to do with how he was treating Ino. He never gave the flower expert any indication that he wanted a relationship with her. If she wanted more, then maybe it was about time to stop their arrangement all together.

He blinked as he suddenly found Sakura in front of him. She was blocking his path.

"Sasuke, Onegai. I don't want you to be this heartless." She looked worried.

He tried to sidestep her but she blocked his path again. A look of determination on her face.

"Please." She whispered.

Out of pure instinct he couldn't explain he flashed past the medic and found himself behind her. Her back stiffened. A gust of wind passed over both of them. Uchiha Sasuke closed his eyes. He fought the urge to nuzzle her when her shoulder length hair tickled his nose. He inhaled deeply. Sakura smelled… sweet. He opened his eyes and his senses took in their surroundings. That's when he realized it. He remembered this place. It held too many memories for both shinobi. They stood near the same park bench he left her on the night he left the village. He clenched his fist. How cliché. Before he could do anything else, Sakura disappeared in a blink of an eye. Sasuke shielded his eyes at the dust she left in her wake. When he opened them, she was standing ten feet away from him.

A hand was placed on her nape.

Her stance looked defensive.

Her eyes held a hint of mistrust in them.

.

.

.

Haruno Sakura looked terrified of him.

Something tugged at his heart. And he suddenly felt angry. He glared at her then and started walking towards her. As if noticing her state for the first time, Sakura looked at him confused and stood straight. She fisted her hands as his steps walked past her. She bit her lip as the distance between them increased. When she turned to him, his pace became fast and suddenly he was running past the gates.

Then, he was gone.

It took a few minutes for her to catch up to him.

* * *

"Ah Haruno Sakura, It's good to see you." The Mizukage was waiting for them at the gates. She had a calm smile on. Her eyes glimmered when she saw who was accompanying her visitor.

Sakura bowed as she greeted the kage. Sasuke bowed as well.

"I see Uchiha Sasuke has decided to escort you. It's _definitely_ good to see you." Her gaze fell on the dark-haired nin beside the Godaime's apprentice. Sakura recognized the look. Admiration. And something else.

Lust.

"He is not an escort. I have no need for protection." Sakura was quick to correct the statement.

The red-head hummed. She placed a pipe to her mouth. She sucked the tobacco in and let it out from rounded ruby red lips. She licked them after. The seductive action caught Sasuke's attention. She was looking at him in a suggestive way. Uchiha Sasuke knew it when a woman was expressing her interest in him. He had too many experiences with the opposite gender to not be wrong about this. A lot of the villagers in Konoha have made more subtle advances on him. Some women were straight to the point whenever he was at a bar. However, it didn't mean that he took them to bed immediately. That is why Ino was useful to him. She accommodated his needs without asking for more. He didn't like it when they seemed to want more from him. The Mizukage would probably be different. It would purely be physical and… temporary. He briefly contemplated taking her offer. Mei Terumi was a voluptuous woman. Her presence held an air of confidence and experience. She would surely teach him some tricks in bed. He shook his head. He was on a mission. This was inappropriate. Sakura would not like it. As if knowing he was thinking about her, Sakura's eyes suddenly met his. She noticed the exchange between him and the Mizukage. Her eyes held a look of bewilderment in them.

Sasuke immediately felt guilty. This morning he ignored her because she was being pushy about his relationship with Ino. With no doubt, she would berate him later if he decided to have sex with the Fifth Mizukage. Why the hell did she have to be involved in his affairs in bed? She had nothing to do with what he wanted to do with his body. He was a man. It was perfectly natural for him to have… urges. It wasn't like he was an animal who fucked anyone in his path.

He looked at the ground. Sakura was such a nuisance. She made him feel like he was a bad person. Her innocence sometimes left him exasperated. She saw the world as a fairytale. She tried with all her might not to hurt people. The green-eyed medic didn't want even her rivals to be hurt. She was okay with having the world be happy and content despite being the person who got hurt in the end. She even said that she didn't regret that night.

He did though.

After that night, he felt like she was suffocating him with her presence even if she wasn't physically there. _She _was a constant existence on his mind.

He didn't want her there.

"I have prepared a room for you. However I did not expect to see this handsome man with you. Maybe I should make a few arrangements?" The Mizukage still looked at Sasuke as if he was being auctioned off. Sakura suddenly felt possessive.

"Not necessary Mizukage-sama. Sasuke will be staying with me." Her statement surprised him. He turned his head to look at her. Her hands were clasped behind her back. Her fingers tightened. She was surprised with herself as well.

"Oh, so it's like that huh?" Mei chuckled.

"It's…"

"Worth the try." The kage put her hand to her hips. "If you decide to break it off please do tell me." Her eyes shifted to Sasuke again. She smirked. In a split second, she disappeared.

Sakura was not given the chance to deny her claim. The older nin clearly thought that she was in a relationship with Sasuke. But that didn't mean that she still wasn't interested.

"I'll show you to your room Sakura-san." A chuunin stepped in and led her up a tall building. It looked new. Sakura turned to follow him in. The walk was silent and long. Sakura felt her heart thump against her chest. She was going to share a room with Uchiha Sasuke. The thought had her cheeks turn red. What the hell was she thinking when she suddenly blurted out that he was going to stay with her. She looked at him. He wasn't saying anything. He didn't say anything a while ago. He was probably going to say something harsh to her once they reached their room.

"Here it is"

Sakura looked up as the shinobi opened the door. It didn't look like a traditional Japanese room. It was large. She could see a queen sized bed. A table was placed to its right. It held pens and papers that would serve as a means for her to write down notes. A comfortable looking lounging chair was in the far left corner with a lamp beside it. A door which would probably lead to the bathroom was found on the same side. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room. Closet, dresser and a small coffee table with cute chairs. No sofa. She was screwed.

"If you need anything please feel free to ask us." The escort smiled and held the door open for her. She stepped in. Sasuke followed.

"Arigatou." Sakura smiled back at the shinobi. Sasuke noticed the blush that crept up the other guy's neck.

The door shut with a sense of finality. Sakura breathed in.

"I apologize for saying what I did a while ago." She started.

"It wasn't my intention to have you alone with me. I just didn't think that it would be right for our host to be seducing you. We both know where she's going to put you if you decided to look for another room. We are here for a mission, not to start affairs. If you oppose of my decision then you are welcome to make other arrangements." She breezed through the sentences and bit her lip as she waited for his reply.

"It's fine." He muttered.

"Eh?" she looked confused

"I said it's fine." He repeated. Sakura was surprised. She expected him to leave her alone in the room. Mei was a very attractive woman. Any man who was a recipient of the look she sent Sasuke would most definitely end up between her legs. Maybe he was going to meet the Mizukage somewhere? She understood what their exchange meant. The Mizukage had put the ball in Sasuke's court. If he wanted to comply with her wishes then all he had to do was go to her door. If he didn't though, she was determined to have him. It couldn't have been more obvious.

"I'm not going to sleep with her."

"Oh."

"Being placed in a different room might encourage her visit." He added.

"I see." She inhaled deeply. "That was intense. What happened a while ago. She made it pretty clear what she wanted from you. Any man would have melted"

"Sakura, I wouldn't jeopardize the mission by fooling around."

"Oh, that's good" the look of relief on her face made Sasuke smirk. He removed his mask and looked at the bed.

"Hn"

"I guess we can share? Wait, If you're uncomfortable with it … we can, I mean I can always sleep on the floor." She was tripping over her words.

"No"

"Okay then. So we're sharing? Don't worry, I won't attack you in your sleep." She teased.

He smirked again. Looking at her smiling face, he ran a hand through his black locks. She looked happy.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm really tired. If you don't mind, I guess I'll prepare myself for bed." She smiled.

Sasuke shrugged and took off his backpack.

Both nin proceeded to put their things away and took turns in using the shower. With their backs to each other and as much distance they could put between one another they slept.

* * *

Sakura slammed her fist on the table. A small crack formed. She hadn't used her chakra. Two weeks have already passed since she arrived at Kirigakure and she was nowhere near her goal. Searching for the Seikatsu no Hana proved to be harder than she initially thought. During the first days of her arrival she immersed herself in literature about the legendary flower. She wasn't surprised about the limited number of books that mentioned it. What surprised her was the lack of information about its whereabouts. All of her readings consisted of rumors about its healing abilities. One book which dates back to fifty years before had a drawing of it but she wasn't so sure if it was true. She was beginning to doubt its very existence. However, a small hope kept her going.

Her master had mentioned encountering it during her youth.

That fact alone refused to let her give up.

So, for the past week she had hiked her way around the mountain searching for the flower. Sasuke was a good partner during the mission. She understood why Lady Tsunade assigned it to him. He was an expert in poisons, specifically snake poisons. She was grateful that he had accompanied her during her journey. More than once she was bitten by hebi that looked harmless. She was saved by his antidotes. She in turn had saved him in numerous occasions. Mosquitos, plants and even some of the water were toxic. Sasuke was a big help and he never complained. She could see how much he questioned the existence of their target. Even the Mizukage, who was still sending him looks whenever they had a meal together, had no idea about it. She appreciated the fact that he didn't voice his inner thoughts. If he did, she might agree with him.

Going home to a dying Master without something to prevent the process was the last thing she wanted to do. She sighed. She had to admit though, even if this mission was becoming more and more frustrating, she realized that her relationship with Sasuke was getting better. He was being cooperative and they acted like they had before the night she got drunk. She felt peaceful whenever they were sitting across each other with her hands on his head. He seemed at peace as well. And he often gave her clear signs that he was concerned about her health even without words being said. It was in his actions. Reminding her with his presence when it was time for dinner. Giving her coffee when she was doing an all-nighter. He even gave her more space in their bed. Sasuke was really a nice person. She was at least happy about that.

She ran a hand through her bangs and looked outside the window. It was a bright day. She breathed deeply as she felt his chakra. Her gaze fell on him standing by the door with his hands in his pockets.

"About time we went to the mountain again huh?" she stated.

"Aa"

He took his hands out and straightened his back. He adjusted his sword. The change in his position told her that they had to get going. She got up and opened the drawer on the table. She took out her gloves.

"Let's get going then."

…..

The mountain looked more ominous than it already was. Sakura felt a sense of dread come over her. They had to remain alert. She looked at her partner and found that he took notice of the dangerous air around them as well. His hand went to his katana. Sakura put her gloves on and looked around her. Something wasn't right. She couldn't hear the sounds of the animals around them. Their steps slowed as they made their way through the forest like shadows of the sun, silent and cautious. Sakura paused when she felt a raindrop on her. It pierced her skin. She winced as she felt the pain. She looked at the sky and her eyes widened. A dark cloud was over them.

"Sasuke." She started. He was already staring at her with a look of understanding. They had to look for cover. She didn't know what this rain will bring but she had a feeling that it was a big threat. Their pace quickened as they heard the loud clap of thunder and suddenly they were running as fast as they could. Raindrops started to fall on them. Her worries were confirmed as she saw the plants around then wither as water fell on them. Her skin burned as the rain touched it. She was scared. The only thing that kept her going was the adrenaline that flooded her system. Her arms, legs, her whole body suddenly hurt. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming. The rain felt like acid on her skin. She had never felt anything more painful than this. She could no longer see clearly. She felt like falling.

Sasuke's cloak suddenly came around her as he sheltered her from the pain. His hands wrapped around her wrist. He pulled her along with him. Sakura followed the direction he was going and tried to keep up with his pace. In a matter of minutes they were at a cave and they gasped as they tried to catch their breaths. She knelt down and placed her hands on the ground. She coughed, her chest hurt from the action as she tried to keep her breathing regular. She looked up to see Sasuke sitting with his back propped up against the wall and his hand placed over a bent leg as he tried to fight the cough. She could tell that he was hurting as well. He had more burns on his face.

Acid rain. Real acid rain. It hurt like shit.

She pushed herself up and tried to crawl towards him. She needed to heal him. He sustained more damage than she had. As her hands glowed with her green chakra she felt something tug at her consciousness. No. she had to heal him. Now was not the time to be weak. She tried to stay awake but her vision was getting cloudy. Suddenly the drive that kept her going the past couple of weeks left her and she was drained of her energy. In a moment, she lost access to the world. The last thing she saw was Sasuke's face as he rushed towards her.

.

.

.

When she woke up the forest was still surrounded by rain. Her head turned towards Sasuke. He was lying unconscious a few feet from her. His breathing was labored and he had his right hand to his chest. She immediately scanned over his body and assessed his condition. Without a second thought she got up and walked a little bit dazedly towards him. She pulled him up to a sitting position and leaned his body against the wall. She placed her hands on his chest and started the healing. Within a few seconds she felt the relief in his body. He was going to be okay. She passed her hand over the rest of his body to heal the burns. His eyes slightly opened as he observed her.

She settled herself next to him and tried to stay awake. However she found herself loosing grip of her consciousness once again. Her head landed on his shoulder as she settled herself into a dreamless sleep.

His head landed on hers as he too gave in to his body's needs. Both of them had not been sleeping well since they arrived at the village of the Mist.

.

.

.

When Sakura awakened, she was lying on her side with her cloak around her. She pushed herself up. She stretched her hands out and yawned. Her ears picked up on the sound of birds chirping outside. They seemed to have come out of their hiding after the rainfall had stopped. She could see Sasuke's back turned to her as he stared outside the cave. He casted a summoning jutsu and two small snakes appeared in front of him.

"Try to see the damage around us." He instructed.

"Hai, Sasuke-sama." The two hebi hissed and slithered out.

He turned to look at her and a look of relief passed over his eyes.

"How long was I out?" she questioned.

"A day" he answered. She got up and bent her legs to chase the stiffness away. He made a move to catch her when she almost lost her balance. But she regained her composure and stood straight. She took in her surroundings. The cave was big. Her mind felt curious as she saw that it went deeper.

"Feel like exploring?" she smiled at him. He smirked.

"Aa." Slowly they made their way deeper into the cave.

Sakura moved her hair out of her face. A blush crept up her cheeks. A day. She had been out cold a day. And he had watched over her. She hoped she didn't look too ugly as of the moment. She also hoped that she didn't smell bad. She didn't want him to be disgusted with… she interrupted her thoughts. Didn't she already tell herself that she should no longer care about Uchiha Sasuke's opinion of her? She was trying to move on. Her eyes stared at the blackness ahead of them. Sasuke conjured a Katon to light their way. She stared at his face and groaned.

Kami-sama was unfair.

They had run through a poisonous forest and have stumbled through twigs and mud as they tried to find shelter. A day had passed since that happened so … she didn't expect him to look so handsome. He was still very attractive and she fought the urge to run her hands through his hair to see if it was as stiff as hers probably was. Again, she scolded herself for thinking such things.

His arm stopped her as she was about to put her foot forward.

"There's something there."

He had his Sharingan on. He formed his hands into the seal she was so familiar with and a Katon was sent ahead of them.

Sakura's eyes widened at what she found in front of her. Butterflies, bees, dragonflies. Lots of insects with wings flying in the darkness. What surprised her even further was the fact that they looked wet. They were out on the rain before. So why?

Why did they look unharmed?

Her gaze fell on a particular butterfly landing itself on a white flower. Its tiny legs played at the pollen on it. Her eyes lit up with recognition. She couldn't be wrong about it. It was a picture she saw during one of her readings. She implanted it into her mind so she would never forget. She couldn't' help but let out the sound of joy from her lips. She grinned at Sasuke. It was only one flower but they had found it.

They found the Seikatsu no Hana.

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba prided himself in his wolf-like abilities. As a member of the Rookie Nine he was deemed as a skilled shinobi who fought courageously during the war. Numerous missions were assigned to him entailing him to help detect rare items. With the help of his loyal comrade Akamaru they were always successful. His dream was to also become Hokage. However, though he occasionally announced his goal, he acknowledged that Uzumaki Naruto was way ahead of him. He was jealous of the blonde shinobi. He earned the love of the people and had already attained their support. Naruto was an idiot but he was also a great shinobi. He was worthy of becoming hokage.

Yes, Kiba was jealous because of a lot of things.

And that included the fact that Naruto was in the same team as _her._

Naruto had _her_ support.

Naruto had _he_r friendship.

And Naruto had _her_ love.

Even if it wasn't the type the blonde shinobi wanted.

The brown-haired nin grinned. He was on his way to see her. Haruno Sakura had sent a hawk for him. She needed him to find something for her. Whatever it was he realized that he would bust his ass to find it for her.

Kiba looked at his partner beside him. Akamaru was running extra fast today and his tail was wagging.

"Excited to see her huh Akamaru?" The dog barked in return. Kiba laughed and looked ahead of him. He was excited to see her too.

Sakura had always been pretty. He knew that. But he didn't really notice her that much at first. When she had cheered for Naruto during the chuunin exams he found her cute. She was a feisty kunoichi. When she had cried in front of them begging her blonde teammate to bring Sasuke back, he felt sorry for Naruto because a big burden was placed on his shoulders. He thought that she was oblivious to the kyuubi-vessel's feelings for her. Kiba didn't see her much when Naruto left to train with his master. He occasionally glanced at her during his walks in the village. He would wave at her and she would wave back.

When she asked him to accompany her on a mission to talk to Naruto about Sasuke's betrayal, he secretly thought that she was insane. He didn't like it when she falsely claimed that she was in love with the sage when she so obviously loved the avenger. Still, he couldn't leave her. She knocked his senses off when she betrayed them with her sleeping potion. It was unusual for him to fall for a girl whom he thought was crazy but she had caught his attention at the time.

During the Fourth Ninja War, Inuzuka Kiba greatly admired Haruno Sakura. He was awed by her skills. He was enchanted by her beauty. His eyes repeatedly scanned over her tent whenever she was healing shinobi from other villages. He often found himself looking at her in the battlefield. There was nothing more attractive than seeing her punch her way through her enemies. After the war, he had sustained a great number of injuries and was on the verge of losing his life. She saved him. Then he was placed directly under her care. He loved the feel of her hands over him. Kiba found Sakura's chakra to be soothing and heavenly. Her presence was a great comfort to him and she made sure that he got the best medical attention. She oversaw his rehabilitation and soon he was looking forward to her visits. She looked really beautiful in her white coat and he was extra happy to see her playing with Akamaru. The dog had taken a liking to her as well. After a month she had caught his heart.

But it was obvious that someone else had caught _her_ heart.

"_You're amazing." His cheeks warmed as he realized what he just said. Sakura looked up from petting Akamaru when she heard his words. The dog was on its back and had encouraged her to rub its belly. Haruno was bending down and rubbing it. Her laugh was so angel-like that Kiba couldn't help but fall for her harder. Her eyes told him that she was surprised with his compliment. He couldn't find the words to explain what he meant._

"_Thank you." She smiled at him and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. She was really really pretty. _

_She was wearing a tight short blue skirt and was wearing a red top. She looked extra girly today. Kiba was on his way to the market when Akamaru suddenly decided to turn the opposite direction. As he followed his partner he saw her walking with a basket in her hands. _

"_Hi Kiba." She greeted and smiled at him._

"_Hey"_

_Akamaru was jumping up and down when he saw her and she just laughed as she patted his head. _

"_I'm glad to see you too." _

_Kiba cleared his throat as he remembered the moment. Her smile was really … cute. He looked down to see the dog wagging its tail and licking Sakura's hand._

"_So, where are you going?" he asked_

"_I'm on my way to Sasuke-kun's house. He has been experiencing some blurring of vision." She answered. She glanced at her watch and got up. _

"_Gomen Kiba, is it okay if I go ahead? I'm running a little late." _

_Akamaru whimpered as Sakura stopped petting him and dusted the fur out of her clothes. Kiba understood the dog's disappointment. He wanted to talk with her more as well._

"_No problem." He grinned._

_She grinned at him back and waved goodbye._

_His eyes followed her until she was but a dot to his vision._

_That bastard was damn lucky to be the recipient of her devotion._

Kiba was jealous of Uzumaki Naruto but he was more jealous of Uchiha Sasuke.

The dark-haired nin obviously had her heart.

The young ninja shook his head and smiled. He wasn't going to give up. Before he left for his mission a month ago he told himself that once he got back to the village he would confess to her. It didn't matter if she was going to reject him. He just wanted her to know. He liked her too much.

His pace increased as he rushed to Kirigakure.

* * *

Sakura looked at all the petri dishes in front of her. Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Haemophilus and other bacteria. She smiled as she saw the big spot on all the dishes. The flower's extract worked. It was able to inhibit all bacterial growth. She cultured fifteen common pathogens and they were all destroyed by the legendary plant. The effect was quite impressive. She was sure that she would be able to fight the infection Tsunade was frequently having. All she had to do was obtain more.

"That smile tells me that you've found something good." She looked up to find Kiba lounging on the window. She smiled at him.

"Hi Kiba. I'm glad you came as soon as you could."

Akamaru immediately launched himself into her arms and she laughed as she babied him.

"Akamaru, don't abuse her affection for you." The dog immediately obeyed his master and sat down. His tongue was hanging at the side of his mouth.

"So, what do you need me to find?" He grinned at her.

"See this?" she led him to her preparations. He glanced over the table. A microscope, several books, what looked to be herbal juice and some dishes he often saw in labs.

"What am I looking at?" he questioned.

"Here" she pointed to the dishes which had a drop of the decoction she produced in them.

"It can cure any form of bacteria I have experimented on." She smiled at him. Kiba found her too cute at that moment. He found her really attractive during battle but she was hard to resist when she was excited and happy about something.

"So, I guess you want me to find more of this flower huh?" he guessed.

"Exactly." She grinned. "Kakashi sensei is too busy nowadays, training to be hokage. Plus, I know you have a nose that's more sensitive than his dogs." She complimented him. Akamaru barked.

She giggled. "Akamaru's as well." She patted the dog.

He beamed at this and turned his head to the corner of the room. Sasuke was sitting in one of the chairs and was currently reading a scroll. The dark-haired nin looked up and nodded his head in greeting. Kiba nodded in return.

Without further talk, he sniffed the flower and let Akamaru sniff it as well. He memorized its scent. Okay, that would do. He was on his way out when Sakura stopped him.

"Oh and Kiba, be careful with your surroundings. Too much poison. Sasuke will accompany you."

Said Uchiha got up. He looked at Kiba and exited the room. The brunette glanced at the room before he made his way to the window. With one last smile at Sakura he jumped off it followed by Akamaru. Then he was off to find the Seikatsu no Hana.

* * *

Sakura yawned and looked at the person in front of her.

"Well, I guess I'll be leaving now." Kiba watched her. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Dark circles were seen under her eyes.

"I am very grateful you answered my call Kiba." She replied.

Akamaru was seated beside her as she gently patted his head. He whined when she stopped her strokes.

"I know, I know, I want to go back with you too" she cuddled the dog. "However, I have a lot more things to do. I'm going to finish up my research and head home as soon as I can." She nuzzled the dog's face and looked into his eyes. Kiba suddenly felt jealous of his partner.

He waved at Uchiha Sasuke and the Sharingan wielder bowed his head in a subtle way. Kiba didn't really talk that much with Sakura's teammate. But he noticed something the past couple of days. It seemed that in the time he wasn't around, Sasuke and Sakura had formed a stronger bond with each other. They had some form of understanding that he couldn't quite comprehend. The onyx eyed shinobi paid a lot of attention to her needs. He always seemed to be looking out for her. Once, he even spotted the other guy carrying her back to their room. Were they going out? He wondered. He stopped himself from assuming it. It hurt too much. They didn't seem like a couple to him. Both Team 7 members probably got comfortable with each other. Maybe it was because they spent more time in each other's company.

"I'll walk you to the gates." She offered.

They made their way towards the north of the village. Their steps, casual and slow.

Kiba couldn't help but feel nervous. This was the first time since his arrival that he was alone with the pink-haired ninja. She was so busy with her research and he was too busy gathering the materials she needed.

He gulped. This might be his only chance! Didn't he already promise himself that he would tell her his feelings? He glanced down at the person walking by his side. He really liked her. He didn't care if her heart belonged to another. He stopped in his tracks and looked at the ground.

Sakura noticed this and stopped as well. She tilted her head to the side in question.

"Sakura. I"

"Hm?" she smiled at him. Kami this was hard to do. His cheeks turned red. He tried to find the right words. To his astonishment, Akamaru nudged him and he suddenly found himself directly in front of her.

Sakura was surprised and she instantly blushed as she noticed their proximity. Up close, he could see the greenness of her eyes. They were an interesting shade of color. He wanted to drown in them. Without thinking further, he grabbed one of her hands and held it between them.

"I like you." He whispered.

Her eyes widened and she instantly looked away from him. She looked unhappy.

"I."

"I _really_ like you. Please go out with me." He continued.

Sakura stared back at him. She was thinking.

"Kiba, you're a good guy but…"

"Is it because of that Uchiha?" his heart suddenly felt like it was being crushed. He didn't want her to finish that "but". She was rejecting him.

"No, It's not… Sasuke and I are just friends." She bit her lip. He let go of her hands and placed his own in his pockets.

"Why aren't you calling him Sasuke-kun anymore?" Kiba noticed this when he first arrived but he didn't have the courage to ask it. Something was definitely going on between the two shinobi.

"Because we're just teammates." She steadily replied.

His eyes lit up with understanding. He could guess what she meant by that sentence. Uchiha Sasuke had rejected her and she was trying to move on. He looked at her again and sighed. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Haruno Sakura was really too nice. She didn't like it that she was hurting him. His heart swelled as he realized this. He liked her even more because of that.

"Well, can't blame a guy for trying right?" he grinned at her.

Sakura tried to smile back. But her enthusiasm earlier had gone. They continued to walk towards the gates. When they reached the end of Kirigakure she looked up and finally smiled at him. She frowned when he didn't smile back and instead just stared at her. He turned to her.

"Sakura, I'll help you get over him if you give me the chance." He looked really serious then.

She couldn't say anything in return. She opened her mouth to say something. But his hand in front of her face stopped her. Her eyes widened at the action. His other hand covered his face. She detected the blush he tried to hide. Kiba was … cute.

"Don't tell me your final reply yet." He blurted out.

"Kiba."

"I am willing to wait for you." He smiled.

Before she was able to say anything else he disappeared.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke frequently had nightmares. After losing his family he usually dreamt about the Uchiha Massacre. He would wake up every time with tears in his eyes. After a few minutes of catching his breath he would get up and train. When he was a genin, he still saw their lifeless faces but he also had other images on his mind. He dreamt about killing his brother. It didn't take long for those dreams to take control of him and after being given the cursed seal, he left his home to become the avenger. He wanted to kill Uchiha Itachi. When he was fifteen, he did. But what followed turned his whole world upside down. His brother was merely a pawn ordered by high ranking officials to save their own skin. He remembered the betrayal he felt and the hatred that flowed through his veins. Konoha was now the enemy. So, after Itachi's death, Sasuke dreamt about different things. He dreamt of seeing his village in flames. He dreamt about killing Leaf Shinobi and putting the elders' heads on sticks. His dreams consisted of blood and cries of citizens begging for their lives. He no longer had nightmares. He had goals.

However, after he joined the Shinobi Alliance and had helped in ending the Fourth Shinobi War, his nightmares resumed. But, instead of seeing the death of his clan he saw the death of his friends. It was his biggest fear. Killing them. It was because he remembers vividly how much he desired for their deaths when they were reunited at that bridge. He was afraid of the fact that he almost turned against them. His nightmares reminded him of how he almost destroyed their future. His future. He dreamt about running a chidori through their hearts. He imagined how his sword would feel as it sliced their flesh. He saw them burn when he used Amaterasu on them. He heard their screams as he took their lives.

"_Teme! Don't do this!"_

"_I understand your pain Sasuke, this won't bring you peace."_

_._

_._

_._

"_Onegai, I don't want you to be this heartless"_

His vision clears and he sees her back to him. He could feel the anger boiling inside. He recognizes the increased intent to kill. His soul however was telling him to stop. She was quivering. He steps closer and his head is suddenly filled with the ear-piercing sound of a thousand birds. His arm pulls back then drives forward as his attack aims for her neck and he could see as if in slow motion the painstakingly sluggish turning of her head. His heart stopped as he saw the fear in her eyes….His mind screamed at the slow movement of her lips as she gasped his name when his chidori pierces her chest…..

"_Sasuke-kun."_

_._

_._

_._

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke woke up with a start. He gasped as he took in his surroundings. Images of blood merge into one person. Someone was on top of him. That person was shaking him awake. His hands instantly went to her shoulders. In a second, he switched their positions and had her arms pinned over her head.

"Sasuke."

He instantly knows her voice. He blinks his eyes to clear the blur. He could feel her form. A woman. A body he had touched before. He closes his eyes and opens them again. He recognizes Sakura's face. Her eyes looked frightened and alarmed. It takes a second for him to notice their position. Long pink hair was splayed on the pillow behind her. Her over-sized shirt hung off one pale shoulder. The shorts she was wearing revealed a lot of skin. Her arms were at both sides of her head, palms out. His hands held her down. The action made her chest stick out and he could see that she wasn't wearing a bra. His ears suddenly felt hot and he could still hear a buzzing sound. He closed his eyes and tried to drown out the sound of birds screeching.

He looked at her again.

Too trusting.

She looked too trusting.

She wasn't afraid anymore. She was just staring at him with understanding in her eyes. Her expression served to comfort him. His grip on her wrists tightened and he suddenly found himself lowering into her. He paused as he was mere centimeters away from what he wanted to taste. Her eyes held wonder and confusion. His lips ghosted over hers. He noted the widening of her eyes before he finally closed the distance. He groaned. She felt soft and delicious. He tried to deepen the kiss but she refused him. He pushed himself up and stared at her. Her face was a deep shade of red. One of his hands went to her chin and pulled it down.

"Open your mouth"

"What? No..." She tries to push him away with her free hand but he instantly catches it and pins it to the bed again.

Her shock at his aggressiveness gave him the chance he wanted and he pushes his tongue past her teeth. It tangles in hers and ever so slowly she starts to respond. Sasuke lets go of one of her wrists to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her to him. Her hand immediately weaves itself on his hair.

Sasuke continued to attack her mouth. Sakura felt wonderful. He wanted to feel her. Just feel her. He tried to erase the image of her dead eyes. He forced himself to forget the touch of her lifeless body. Her body was alive with passion now. He didn't want to lose her. She was important to him. His other hand goes to her cheek as he angled her mouth to deepen the kiss. Her released hand goes to his chest and he groans at the contact.

He wants her now.

Wants to bury himself in her.

Wants to hear her moans as he plunges into her.

Wants to see the hot expression of her face as she reaches her climax.

Lying in a bed with her for the past couple of weeks was hard. He would sometimes contemplate about turning to her. But he knew what it was going to do to their friendship. And he knew what he was going to say after. Knew the tears she would shed when he breaks her heart. He didn't care now. His hand goes to the back of her neck to tilt it to his wandering mouth when her body stiffens.

Sasuke suddenly stops. And he slowly lifts his head to look at her. He remembers the emotion on her face before they left Konoha. She didn't trust him when it came to her vital point. He didn't blame her though, any contact he had with Sakura's nape before was made to do harm.

He pulls away and turns his back to her. He tries to even his breathing. He glances at her again. She was flushed all over and was breathing intensely. He remembers her face when she came back from walking Inuzuka to the gates. She looked red that time too. He wondered what had happened that day. She seemed withdrawn. Tonight, she looked too vulnerable. He tried to fight the images of her in his bed back at Konoha. He tries to ignore the urge to take her as he did that night.

His hands were itching to run all over her.

Before he could do anything else he gets up and puts a shirt on.

"Sasuke."

"Forget about it." He muttered.

"Are you okay?" she asks him. He turned to look at her again. The concern in her eyes bothered him. Wasn't she supposed to be mad at him for saying hard words again?

"Aa. Just a dream." His eyes scanned over her form. She pushed herself up as she studied him. His heart gentled. Sakura was a good friend. He didn't want to hurt her as he did the last time.

"Get some sleep" he added. She looks at him for a minute and lets out a sigh.

She smiles at him and nods her head.

Sasuke turns and leaves the room. As he walks around the cool village he tried to deny the desire to turn back.

He wanted to go back and fuck Haruno Sakura.

She looked willing.

He closed his eyes and remembered how she felt the last time. Maybe he could...

No

He continues walking before he changes his mind. He wanted to be with her tonight. Wanted it so much. Too much.

However, he didn't want to see the hurt that would flash in her eyes the moment he would leave her in the morning.

.

.

.

He was sure he would.

* * *

"_It occurred to me in the tranquility of last night that gathering wilted petals won't make them alright." – Just be Friends_

tbc

**AN: **So sorry it took so long for me to update! This chapter is longer than usual :D Introducing Kiba, the other guy. Haha. I like the way Kiba contrasts Sasuke's character. I love a guy with a dog. (I think Sasuke's family has ninja cats?) I like fics with him as the object of Sasuke's jealousy. He's loud and open with his feelings like Naruto. Truthfully, I thought of Naruto as well. But, I think I'm writing from how I see it in the manga. I'm sorry if there are any discrepancies with the facts placed here. I try to do as much research as I can. :)

Thanks to everyone who took the time to review. I'm really new at this and I feel extremely happy that I got a lot of positive responses. I've been taking note of the negative ones as well and have taken them into account. Nevertheless, I am still very grateful for them. I don't usually write reviews when I'm reading fics except when I love the story.

I would like to give everyone a heads up. I'm sorry if anyone is offended that I made Sasuke into a very sexual person. I would like to think that he would be great in bed. It's rare nowadays to find men who are still virgins. (blush blush) I know I'm going down the road of physical attraction between these two characters but I hope I have emphasized their deep budding friendship as well :D

Anyway, you may have noticed Sasuke's inner struggle with his feelings towards Sakura. I love reading a story when a man has an internal debate with himself. Hope you like this chapter! Am going to work on the next one. :D

Special thanks to Sacchan Orange Juice for correcting what I first wrote: "Hana no Seikatsu". Changed it to "Seikatsu no Hana" greatly appreciated. :D And to assyLLaUchiha who has been sending me words of encouragement through messages and reviews :D

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8: All About Us

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine. :'(

Chapter Eight

**All about Us**

"_Suddenly I'm feeling brave. Don't know what's got into me. Why I feel this way. Can we dance? Real slow. Can I hold you? Can I hold you close?" _

_- song by He is We ft Owl City_

* * *

"_Sasuke-kun, harder." _

_The hand on her waist tightens and pushes her against him. Her moans urged him to take her like an animal. Fiercely and savagely. He pulls out and pushes back in. Hard. _

"_Ah…"_

_Sasuke opens his eyes to look at her. Her eyes are shut tight. Her lips are parted and she is gasping and moaning every time he hits a particular spot. He lifts one of her legs and holds it to his hips as he thrusts in again. And again. In. Out. In. Out. He grunts as he feels a spike of pleasure and he could feel her walls clamping around him. He claims her lips and their tongues tangle. One of his hands goes to her breast and cups it, gently pulling the nipple. _

"_Faster."_

_He complies with her request and pumps faster and deeper. Damn. She felt good. He pulls back and watches her from above. One of her hands is placed beside her head and is clenched tight. The other one grabs his sheets as he hits that spot again. He gets to his knees and pulls her legs closer. She arches her back and gasps his name. Her eyes open and look at him. A look of pleading evident in them. He instantly knows what she wants and he takes her there. As his pace quickens one of her hands goes to his shoulders and holds on. She starts moving her hips to his as she tries to reach it. The movement causes him to go deeper and he clutches her hips tighter as he thrusts her into completion. _

_Sasuke fucks her the same way he fights. With all his might. Soon, she screams his name. He grasps her thighs as he fights to reach his own release. He makes her cum a second time and suddenly empties into her. The impact causes his body to shake as he feels the intense pleasure. He pants as he struggles to catch his breath. Soon, his body covers hers as both shinobi try to come down from the high. A hand goes to his back and tenderly caresses it. He finds it soothing. For a few minutes they stay in that same position. He slowly wraps his arms around her. His head goes to nuzzle her neck as he inhales her womanly scent. _

"_I love you."_

_His eyes widen at her confession. He finds the right words to say back but couldn't. Before he could say anything, she switches their position. He looks up at her. Beautiful and downright sexy. Her hair falls around them like a curtain of cherry blossoms and he raises his hand to tangle his fingers in it. Her eyes tell him that she wants to start another round. The thought immediately brings his cock to full attention. She gasps as the throbbing member stretches her walls. His hands instantly go to her hips as he pushes against her. She closes her eyes and moans. Then she presses her palms to his abs as she slowly begins to move. He plunges into her and she grinds against him back and suddenly they are pushing to their climax. When they do, he closes his eyes and says her name._

_._

_._

_._

"_Sakura"_

Sasuke gasps and pushes his body up. His eyes immediately scanned his surroundings. His mind is relieved as he realizes the familiar furniture of his own bedroom. He settles back into his bed and puts an arm over his head. He tries to calm down. His body felt like it was on fire. He wanted to punch something. Anything. He looks up at the ceiling and lets out a breath. He stops denying it. He knew what he really wanted. What he wanted was to be inside someone. Not just anyone. Her. He groans as he sees the lower part of his body. He grits his teeth as he understood why he had a huge hard on as of the moment. The dream happened in real life except for what she had said in the end.

"_I love you."_

No, Sakura didn't say that. After they had sex, she withdrew into herself and left him with a simple thank you. He didn't know how he felt at the time. Relief maybe. She saved him the hassle of having to ask her to leave. Uchiha Sasuke always got what he wanted. And he got what he wanted from Sakura that night. He closes his eyes and pictures her. In a second he opens them again, gets up and goes to the bathroom to take a shower. The cool water shocks him at first but eventually relaxes his body, especially the lower part of his anatomy.

He places his hand on the wall and shuts his eyes. This new attraction he was feeling towards Sakura was just wrong. A month ago they came back from their mission from Kirigakure. After that, she became very busy as she started putting Tsunade on her medications. She was thorough with her master's progress and the management of her hospital that she seldom came to heal him these days. He was irritated with himself because he felt disappointed. He was anticipating her next visit and he didn't know why. He remembers the first session they had when they returned from their mission. She never mentioned their kiss again. A part of him was happy that she seemed to be moving on. He wanted her to move on. This petty crush she had for him was just crazy. It was about time she let him go.

However, no matter how much he wanted to refute it, a part of him wanted her to still have feelings for him. After all, wasn't she always his to begin with? She would always be his. He didn't understand why he was so possessive of her. It was like that time when Naruto was the one who saved her from Gaara. He still remembers the anger he felt when his role was replaced. He was the one who always did the saving, not that blonde idiot.

Sasuke sighed. What the hell was wrong with him? He remembers the dream. She looked exactly like she did the night she asked him to sleep with her. He groans as his body shuddered with pleasure again. He was losing control. He slammed a fist at the wall out of frustration. He had never dreamt about fucking a friend before. And he never had the experience of wanting someone as fiercely as he wanted Haruno Sakura. Even Ino who was a constant presence in his bed never made him this hard. Damn. The pink haired medic wasn't even in the room to begin with.

Sasuke didn't understand his feelings for Sakura. He knows that she is an important teammate but moments like their time in the Village of Mist made him realize that she wasn't just another partner. She was someone he actually liked having around. And that was something.

She was so damn annoying

* * *

"Yo."

Sakura looked up to find Kiba on her window again. This was beginning to become a habit of his. She closed the book she was reading and smiled at him.

"Hey, what brings you here?" she asked.

"Nothing really, just wanted to see you." He grinned. The honesty in his words warmed her cheeks. She still recalls his confession back in the Village of Mist. When she returned to Konoha, he had greeted her with a big smile and had given her flowers. She felt embarrassed at the time especially because Sasuke was with her. He didn't say anything however and had ruined the mood when he so emotionlessly told her that they had to report to the hokage. He then proceeded to make his way to the tower without asking her to come with him. With a quick thank you to Kiba she jogged to catch up with the moody Uchiha.

After that, the brunette often visited her at her office and would ask her about random things. She found their conversations fun. However, she tried to avoid delving into one particular topic. She didn't know what her reply to his confession was. She had thought about it hard. She doesn't understand why, but she didn't want to say no to him yet. It didn't make sense because usually, she knew what she wanted to say. Kiba's feelings somehow affected her. And he was really charming. The fact that he wasn't afraid to voice his opinion and wasn't afraid to lay his heart open for her was something she admired. They weren't really close friends so she didn't know into which category she placed him in. She found him handsome sometimes. It was during moments when he would simply sit there on her window like he was right now and when he was playing with Akamaru. The dog was starting to grow on her as well.

Plus, didn't he say that he wanted to help her get over Sasuke? She really did want to. Oftentimes, after the night he kissed her, she found herself thinking about it again. They had already slept together, but, there was a big difference between how he reached for her that night compared to the time he just fucked her. It was like he was afraid of losing her. Her thoughts would then lead her to other possibilities and she would immediately shake her head to get a grip on herself. False hope was something she didn't want to feel. Sasuke didn't want her to love him. He said so himself. But he made her feel like he actually cares for her. The thought made her heart warm. At least, she wasn't nobody to him.

She looked at Kiba again and smiled. She was beginning to like him and he would definitely make her feel loved if they indeed went out. Nevertheless, she didn't want to use him that way. It would be cruel. If she decided to go out with him now then it would eventually lead to him feeling like a replacement. She didn't want to do that to someone. Maybe she would eventually like him from the bottom of her heart. If that happens, then she would say yes. It was definitely possible.

"You make me nervous when you say that Kiba." She answered.

"Nah, I really do want to see you."

Her cheeks reddened again and he laughed.

"So, do you have any plans for lunch yet?"

"Nope."

"Do you want me to accompany you?" His fingers were scratching his cheek as he said this. She found him cute again.

"Are you asking me on a date?" she teased.

"What? I'm asking as a friend." He cleared his throat. "Unless, er, you want me to take you out on a date."

She blushed at his words.

"I was just joking." She laughed at him. "Uhm, as a friend then."

He grinned at her and immediately settled himself on the window again.

"I'll wait for you."

"Lunch is two hours away." She checked her watch as she said this.

"I am willing to wait for you." He emphasized.

Sakura watches his face again. He said the same words he told her during her mission. She finds herself smiling at him again. She didn't understand why he was feeling like this. But that didn't mean that she didn't appreciate it. She turns her attention to the book again and continues reading.

Kiba, was good for her.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino was a beautiful woman. Her body could garner stares and approving whistles whenever she walked around the village. Her face made people feel bad about themselves. And the way she dressed had men panting at her feet. She was a skilled shinobi as well. And she was highly praised for her efforts during the war. She was an amazing woman. However, she was also often loud at times and conniving. And she always got what she wanted when she wanted it. Ino was a lot of things. But, the one thing she wasn't was stupid. When she started sleeping with Uchiha Sasuke, she knew what she was to him. Just a body to release all his frustrations in. She didn't care however, because why would she? She was having sex with a god. A god who was amazing in bed and hot to the core. A girl would be delirious to complain about it. She was a woman and had her own needs. Sasuke was the perfect person to fulfill them. Still, she couldn't help but feel disappointed sometimes. There were times when she would just walk around him naked ready for another romp but she would get no reaction at all. She would shrug it off as him being tired. Other times she would have to seduce him extensively before he finally gave in. He seldom gave in nowadays. The times when he wouldn't touch her she only had to picture him in her mind. She would repeatedly feel hot just thinking about being with him.

Ino wanted Sasuke with every fiber of her being.

But, want wasn't the only thing she felt for him. She really liked him. Too much. Whenever they had sex she felt amazing and satisfied but, she also sensed a detachment from him that left her feeling very empty inside. There were times though when she felt that she was at least somebody to him. Her heart would skip a beat during rare occasions when he would thank her for the sex. And she would instantly blush at the gesture. There were also times when he would bring her to new lengths of pleasure before he finally sunk into her. She found him kind and giving whenever he was being a generous lover.

Yamanaka Ino wasn't complaining because she sincerely felt connected to him when their bodies were merged into one.

But sometimes, like times when she saw him with a certain pink haired kunoichi, she felt insignificant. She may have Uchiha Sasuke's body but Haruno Sakura at least had his friendship. She wanted it. And she hated her intelligent friend for having it. Another reason why she hated Sakura was the fact that she got the chance to actually sleep with Sasuke as well. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered their conversation when the medic returned from her mission with the onyx eyed god. Ino felt sympathetic because the sannin apologized sincerely for doing it. She didn't have to. Ino didn't have a hold on Sasuke. Of course she didn't. If she did, she would definitely forbid him from seeing Sakura. Ino instantly understood the body language both teammates had around each other that nobody had to voice it out. Her heart felt cold when she noticed the young Uchiha's eyes subtly run over her friend's body. It was like he wanted to devour her whole. It was very obvious but both shinobi refused to acknowledge it. The feeling of awareness and the sexual tension was evident to Ino's perceptive mind. She was frustrated because she was now behind Sakura in the race to getting Sasuke's attention. She didn't want to give up though. That is why she keeps on going to him. He would refuse her but eventually, he would give in. It was cruel and inconsiderate of her to do this to her friend when Sakura clearly held deeper feelings for him, but she had feelings too. And she would rather appear like a slut than let her best friend win.

Speaking of her friend, the kind shinobi was currently sitting at a stall nibbling on some dangos. The blonde's eyes lit up with interest as she saw who was sitting next to Sakura. _So, Kiba finally decided to make his move huh? _ She thought to herself. Ino came to this conclusion several months after the war when she noticed Kiba staring at her friend with a look of longing on his face. Sakura had him hooked.

She was on her way to greeting them when her eyes spotted a certain Sharingan wielder. He was looking at the scene before him, hands in his pockets, and his posture elegant and sophisticated. She clicked her tongue as she saw the expression on his face. He was clearly pissed with what he was currently watching. Her eyes went to Sakura again and the pink haired nin immediately waved Sasuke over with a big smile on her face. Her wishes were instantly granted when the raven haired man made his way towards them. Ino noted the change in Kiba's smile as he saw who Sakura was waving over. Said person had a look of challenge on his face as well. It was like he was telling the brunette to lay off because he didn't have a chance.

The blonde was amused. She had to hand it to her friend. Being clueless worked for Sakura.

Maybe she could use that to her advantage.

She tried to ignore the feeling of guilt that crept up.

* * *

"Oiiiii! Sakura-chan! Teme!."

Sasuke turned his head to spot a certain loud-mouthed shinobi running towards them. So he finally returned from his mission huh? Hyuuga Hinata was running right beside him and was telling him to slow down.

"Naruto-kun, you have to rest." Was what she said.

They were walking towards Sakura's office when the two shinobi arrived. A while ago, he and the pink-haired kunoichi had lunch together. Along with that Inuzuka, whose dog wanted him to pet it. He furrowed his eyebrows as he remembered seeing the dog lie on its back urging him to rub its belly. Sakura had laughed so hard that she almost choked on the treat she was chewing. He ignored the big white fluff and sat next to her. The dog immediately whimpered at the lack of hands on him. With an "ahwww" and a childish laugh on her, Sakura bent down to comfort it.

"_There, there, Akamaru, Sasuke isn't one to show his sweet side."_

The lack of his usual suffix bothered him again.

"_Sasuke-kun"_

He shook his head as his mind recalled her voice in his dream. He glanced at her. Sakura looked nice today. She was currently wearing a black stencil skirt that reached mid-thigh and a beige sleeveless button up blouse that was inserted. She paired the outfit up with black high heels. Her lab coat was currently placed beside her. She looked up from petting the large dog and laughed at something Kiba said and for a split second, Sasuke felt like his world suddenly felt brighter. Was her laugh always this infectious? He found himself smiling but only a little bit. No one noticed it.

Kiba was looking at her in a familiar way. Sasuke often saw the expression he was wearing on a lot of people. It was a look of fondness. Sakura always seemed to get that from guys. When he looked at Sakura again, she was blushing and he suddenly felt really irritated. His mind put two and two together and he realized what was happening between the two of them. Kiba obviously liked her.

And Sakura knew it.

Sasuke blinked his eyes as a hand passed in front of his face. Sakura was waving him out of the trance he placed himself in.

"Teme, are you okay?" Naruto questioned.

Sasuke nodded his head to answer his question. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"As Naruto was saying, the information was a hoax." Sakura oriented him.

"What?" the dark-haired shinobi's attention shifted. He glanced at his best friend. Naruto looked relieved.

"Those shinobi actually wanted Tsunade baa-chan to go after them. They were just a bunch of gang members and they heard that she was worth a lot of money. They had tons of shinobi at their command." Naruto scratched his head as he said this.

"What took you so long then?" Sakura asked.

"Well, we had to infiltrate their hideout first and that took about a week before we were finally able to cover the whole place."

"To our dismay, no information about Jiraiya-sama's body was in there." Hinata continued. "We had to look for other sources of information before we decided to attack."

Naruto smiled at the dark-haired heiress. "Hinata-chan was a big help. If she wasn't there, I would've just busted in and demanded they give me Ero-sennin's body."

The meek shinobi blushed at this. Sakura found herself smiling. She was glad that Naruto acknowledged the young Hyuuga.

"So, they didn't have it?" she encouraged them to continue with their story.

"I didn't expect them to have it." Sasuke added.

"No, I don't think anyone would ever find it. While we were doing an investigation on this group, we found out that they were responsible for a lot of disappearances. They sold sex slaves." Naruto clenched his fist as he said this.

"We decided to end their ways." Hinata finished.

A brief silence passed over the four shinobi. They didn't know what to say. The world was really cruel. Sakura knew the reason why Naruto felt emotional was not only because his master's body wasn't found but because some of the victims of that gang were probably too young. She encountered missions like these before. She remembers feeling extremely angry and empathetic. Sasuke understood the blonde shinobi's anger as well. People like them disgusted him.

"Uhm, I think we should report to the Godaime." Surprisingly, Hinata was the one who broke the silence. Naruto nodded in return and they slowly turned to head towards the tower. His eyes went to Sakura's and both shinobi shared a moment of understanding. Sakura bit her lip as she waited for Naruto to say something. He gave her a wide grin and a thumbs-up. The smile of relief that she sent the Kyuubi vessels' way was enough to tell Sasuke that she was worried about this encounter. Naruto followed Hinata and waved goodbye to them. Sakura sighed. All was okay between them.

As the two partners parted from them, Sakura turned to Sasuke and smiled at him.

"So, ready to have that session?" she asked.

"Aa."

As they resumed their steps Sasuke observed the woman beside him again. She was currently humming a tune and had a look of pure content on her face. She looked happy. He wondered if it had something to do with Inuzuka Kiba. The man was obviously trying to court her. When the dog-boy gave Sakura flowers when they returned from their mission, Sasuke found it inconvenient that he had to remind his comrade that they had to report to the hokage first. Seriously, why did she look like she was elated to see the brunette?

Sakura opened the door to her office when Sasuke realized that they had not said one word to each other during their walk. It wasn't like he wasn't used to it. He did appreciate the times when she would give him space. However, he still couldn't get over the fact that she didn't ask him how his day was or how he was feeling. No, that wasn't what bothered him. Sakura often allowed him his privacy. What bothered him was the fact that she acted like the kiss he took from her never happened.

"Have a seat Sasuke." She instructed him.

He settled into his usual place and closed his eyes. He felt her presence in front of him and relaxed as he felt her chakra seep into his eyes. They were nearing the end of their sessions. Sakura told him that it would probably take about four sessions or three for her to fully heal his eyes. He was thankful to hear that he would be able to use the Mangekyou Sharingan again without having to worry about further damaging his vision. He didn't really understand how she could do it but he simply coughed it up to her extremely advanced skills. He would forever be grateful to her.

Sasuke opened his eyes to look at Sakura. Her eyes were shut as she tried to focus her attention on the feel of her chakra flowing through his optic nerves. He could feel the slight itching of his eyes as she slowly healed it. Her brows were held down in concentration and she was biting into her lip again. He noticed that she had the habit of doing this when she was fixed on doing a task or when something was troubling her. He looked at her lips again. A month ago he tasted them and had forced them open for his exploration. He never thought that kissing could be so pleasurable. He thinks about it again. And he wonders, why she looked at him with eyes filled with understanding after he had that bad dream. She was a walking contradiction to him. An enigma. She trusted him enough to allow him into her space even when he placed her into a defenseless position. She was an open book to him. But, at the same time, she was a mystery. She pushed him away at first, but eventually gave in. Another thing that troubles him is the fact that she was afraid of turning her back on him. She was afraid to let him touch her there. He didn't want her to be afraid.

"I dreamt that I killed you." Her eyes opened immediately. Emerald green met onyx. Up close, Sasuke could see the tiny flecks on her irises. He found them striking. Her confusion reminded him of what he just said.

"That night in Kirigakure." Her eyes cleared with comprehension and she observed him for a while. He found her silence disconcerting. After a few seconds she cut off their connection. Her hands settled into her lap.

"You won't." she cautiously mumbled.

"I could have." His reply was quick.

"But you didn't." she looked at him with eyes screaming with emotion.

"You're still afraid of me." He accused her. She didn't deny his claim.

"It's a reflex. I don't mean to be." Sakura looked away from him. Sasuke didn't know why but he wanted to cup her cheek and have her look at him. Wanted to see the honesty he knew was in her eyes. His hands almost reached for her face but he stopped himself.

"I'm trying to replace every violent memory I have with you with something that takes away the pain of you leaving us." She continued.

"I'm sorry."

"You were already forgiven."

"I don't deserve to be forgiven so easily. What I did… what I did was…" He bowed his head.

"Was what I tried to do as well." She interrupted him. He lifted his head to look at her. Sakura had a sad smile on her face.

"So don't think for once that I hated you for what you did because I attempted to do the same thing." She added.

Sasuke felt the sincerity in her words and he nodded his head. Satisfied that she got her point across, Sakura smiled and got up from her seat.

"So, are you going to Kakashi-sensei's party next week?" she asked.

"Aa."

"Good, see you there then. Please don't forget to drink the decoctions I made you. Oh and here."

She placed a bag filled with pills in front of him. Sasuke instantly blanched as he looked at what she had given him. Her home-made soldier pills. They tasted really horrible.

"Make sure to take one once a day for good health." She grinned again.

Deciding not to piss her off he took them and made his way to the door. With a slight nod of his head he left.

Sasuke felt something different that afternoon. As he made his way back to his apartment he thought about the history that surrounded him and Sakura. There was too much hurt and too much distrust. However, he learned that eventually, time healed wounds even if they were far too big to cover up. She was trying to move forward. Maybe it was about time he did as well.

* * *

Sakura stepped into the club in a white sleeveless dress which had a loose skirt that reached just below her knees. She had her hair down without her forehead protector. Her pink tresses reached about three inches below her shoulders. Delicate fingers reached up to twist a lock in them as she made her way towards the table where she spotted her friends earlier.

"Ow" she said as a woman lost in the music stepped on her white doll shoes.

"Woops, sorry." The dancer apologized.

"It's okay." She immediately replied.

She smiled as she reached the table. Sai was currently drinking a cup of sake and Yamato taichou was looking at the people dancing on the floor. Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

"Sakura-chan! You made it!" Naruto was chewing on a piece of tempura as he said this. Bits and pieces fell out of his mouth.

"Chew properly you idiot." She reprimanded him.

She took a seat right next to him as she settled herself into the booth.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" She looked around to spot the newly appointed hokage.

"Probably trying to hide from the increased number of fans he got after the ceremony."

She sweat-dropped when he said this. The day held a lot of surprises. She didn't expect Kakashi to do that.

"_I present to you the Fifth Hokage!" the crowd cheered as Tsunade made the announcement. The village was filled with roars of happiness as the Fifth Hokage took off her hat and placed it on Kakashi's head. The silver-haired nin bowed down before her and straightened his back. He then proceeded to make his way to greet the villagers of Konoha. Team Seven was among the spectators of this historical day. Their sensei was now hokage and they couldn't be more proud and honored to be his only students._

_Kakashi held his head high as he looked towards the figures on the mountain. He spotted his beloved sensei. He closed his eyes as he tried to engrain into his memory the thrill that rushed through his veins as he heard the claps and voices of the people shouting his name. _

"_Minato-sensei, so this is how it feels like." His eyes almost water as he remembers his teacher who passed away too early. He looks over the railings again. He tries to memorize each and every person's face._

_Hatake Kakashi lets out a deep breath and looks to the sky. _

'_Obito, Rin, are you watching?' he calls out to them. His teammates were in a better place and he promised himself that he would live for both of them. The eyes that Obito had given him will see the future. The love that Rin gave him will forever be kept in his heart. He promised them that he would no longer be ashamed of what his father did. Both of them had showed him how heroic his father was. They showed him what it was like to have friends. A shinobi should never leave his teammates behind. Though his father broke the laws of putting the mission first, Kakashi knew that he did the right thing. He vowed to change those same rules. _

_His hand went to his face and he curled his fingers into the edge of his mask. The crowd's voices subsided as for the first time since he became a shinobi, Hatake Kakashi uncovered his mouth. The whole village was filled with silence as they looked at his face. As quick as the cheering disappeared, the whole place was immediately filled with screams of enthusiasm and admiration. Women went crazy as they saw the face of their new hokage. The crowds went wild as eyes had hearts on them and women started to go nearer to the tower. Kakashi's eyes widened at the violence of the situation. Girls were stampeding towards him._

"_Kakashi! Put that damn mask back on!" Tsunade had screamed at him as the girls became wilder and wilder. _

_That day, will forever be called "The day Hatake Kakashi made every single woman in Konoha fall in love with him."_

Sakura blushed a little as she recalled the events of that day. Her sensei was extremely handsome. It was good that he kept wearing that mask of his because if he didn't, she was positive that he would have a swarm of girls following him wherever he went.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Sasuke sat himself in the seat in front of her. He nodded in acknowledgement to the people on the table.

"Teme! You're late!"

"Kakashi isn't even here yet." He simply replied. He signaled a waiter to come take their orders. He asked for a bottle of sake and looked at Sakura to give her order as well.

"I'll have sake too." She stated. She blushed a little because she didn't expect the dark-haired nin to ask for what she wanted.

As the waiter arrived with their drinks Kakashi decided to make an appearance.

"You're late!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Gomen, was held up on my way here, an old lady actually asked me to help her get home. When I got her there she had nine daughters who insisted on having me for dinner."

Normally, they wouldn't have believed this insane story. What happened a while ago however showed to them that he was probably telling the truth. Their sensei was far too good-looking for his own good. The world would be better off if he kept his face hidden. Sakura laughed at this.

"So" she lifted her sake glass. "Let's toast to sensei's success. Aside from becoming a piece of meat to countless women in the village, our perverted teacher is now Hokage. Omedetou!"

"Kanpai!" the six shinobi toasted and downed their drinks in one gulp. The table was soon filled with chatter about missions, achievements and other day to day happenings. Sakura couldn't ask for anything more perfect as of the moment. She felt immense joy as she looked at her comrades. They all looked happy and content. She found herself thanking Kami for blessing her with so much. She glanced at everyone. Her eyes fell on one particular person. His onyx eyes bored into her soul.

"Have another drink Sasuke." She offered to pour him another glass but his hand stopped her.

"I have to go on a mission after this." He answered her questioning look.

"Oh yeah, your first solo mission right?" she asked with interest.

"Aa."

"Well, can't have you getting drunk." She poured herself another drink. Sasuke continued to stare at her with the same look she caught him in.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"You look happy." He merely stated.

"I am happy." She gave him a big grin. "Tsunade-sama is getting better. Kakashi sensei is hokage. Naruto will probably be next. And I haven't seen Sai and Yamato-taichou in a long time."

Sasuke continued to scrutinize her. Sakura found his stare a bit uncomfortable. She turned her head to look at the dance floor. What was going through the young Uchiha's head? She asked herself. If he continued to stare at her the way he was now, she was sure that she would melt. Kakashi was handsome but Uchiha Sasuke was just too much. She glances at him again. He was sipping onto his sake and observing the dance floor as well. She briefly wondered if he tried dancing before.

"Yo." The familiarity of his voice caused Sakura to look up.

"Hey Kiba."

"Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves huh?"

"Hai." She answered him.

"Wanna dance?" He offered his hand to her. At first she was hesitant to take it. However, she thought that there was no harm in doing so. With a smile, she gets up and follows him to the floor.

* * *

Sai was observing the interesting scene in front of him. He had been gone for many months due to a mission but he didn't expect things to escalate this quickly. He read a lot of guide books about this kind of interaction. The Inuzuka was obviously in love with Sakura and he was trying to get her attention. He didn't find it surprising. For some reason he didn't quite understand his female teammate seemed to be the object of a lot of people's admiration.

His eyes shifted to the traitor who was sitting right across from her. The moment he settled himself into their booth, the dark-haired nin's eyes immediately went to Sakura. They were acting civilized like before but he could sense something different. He couldn't remember what it was he saw in the Uchiha's eyes.

He looked to the dance floor and saw that Sakura was having a lot of fun with Kiba. They weren't dirty dancing like most of the couples. They were simply facing each other and moving their bodies to the beat. The pink-haired kunoichi looked carefree and the brunette continued to grin at her. His eyes clearly telling the world that she was his world. Where was his stupid dog by the way?

Sai continued to make inferences about the people in the table. Yamato was talking to Kakashi in a very serious tone. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was made the new head of Anbu. Naruto continued to stuff his mouth with food. Nothing new. What captured his attention was the change in the aura of the dark-haired nin beside him. He had a tight grip on his sake and was staring intently at the dance floor. Sai followed his line of vision.

Oh.

It was obvious who Sasuke was looking at. His eyes followed her every movement. His hands looked like they were dying to punch the other guy dancing with her. Sai understood this emotion he was seeing. Traitor was jealous.

Sai briefly contemplated on what this meant. Sakura clearly wanted him too didn't she? What was keeping them from getting together? His eyes went to the moody man beside him again. His position gave something away. Sai instantly remembered the book he read. Lust. Not just lust, there was a sense of familiarity with the way the sharingan wielder's eyes scanned over Sakura's form.

That is when Sai realized what he was seeing.

His thoughts drifted to the young medic again as she made her way towards them. She was chatting with doggy breath and let out a laugh that had all the people on the table looking at her. Sasuke's shoulders seemed to stiffen at this.

Sakura waved a goodbye at Kiba as the young shinobi went over to the friends he came with. She sat down on her seat and smiled at the people around her.

"Great music huh?" she giggled.

"You look so cute Sakura-chan." Naruto complimented her. She smiled and thanked him.

"You seem to be having a lot of fun with Inuzuka." The onyx eyed genius' firm voice told Sai that he disliked the brunette.

"Yes" Sakura instantly beamed and nodded her head. Her good mood however disappeared as she saw who was heading towards their table.

Slim arms snaked around Sasuke's neck and a gifted chest pressed against the back of his head.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun."

Yamanaka Ino immediately settled herself next to the spiky haired man. Her body pushed against his intimately and her hand went to his thigh. A brief sign of emotion passed over Sakura's face but she immediately covered it by taking a gulp of her sake.

"I heard you were leaving for a mission tonight." The blonde's sultry voice near Sasuke's ear caught Sai's attention. This was clearly seduction.

"Aa."

"Do you have some time? I can accommodate you before you leave." The last sentence was whispered but Sai heard them. He looked to Sakura again. She seemed to be ignoring the conversation. He found this confusing. So who was Sasuke with again? He was positive that he was with ugly. This flirting session with Ino told him that something had happened between the two. Before he could stop himself he calmly said.

"So, the traitor is sleeping with both best friends."

Naruto instantly choked on his sashimi. Kakashi's eyes widened and Yamato's expression was almost too funny. Sakura instantly went red and the next thing they know she's mumbling words they couldn't understand.

"What? No! I mean, only once, we're friends. They are more together then we are. Or not. Uhm, it's none of your business! What the hell? I shouldn't be explaining myself. Damn it Sai what made you say that?!" her face was shifting from an expression of surprise, then nervousness, then hurt and then total anger .

"I read a book about physical attraction. Traitor here seems to be too aware of your body. He wants to take you home and have his way with you." His objective statement had everyone in the table looking shocked.

"Shut up." Sasuke had pushed Ino off him and immediately stood from his spot. Without another word, he left the booth and ushered himself out. With a huff, the gorgeous blonde got up and made her way towards the bar. After a few minutes, still blushing fiercely, Sakura got up and left as well.

So much for celebrating.

* * *

Sasuke was pissed. Really pissed. That replacement of his was such a bastard. The emotionless shinobi was clearly wrong. He didn't want Sakura. He was merely observing her as she and that idiot brunette danced. Nope, she wasn't someone he wanted to take to bed. He already did didn't he? He didn't want to go through what they had a few months ago. And she was so damn irritating. Why was she always so nice and kind to people? She really was delusional if she thought that Kiba would just see her actions towards him as something a friend would normally do. She was leading the brunette on. She really was naïve.

Or was she?

He paused as he strapped an anbu sword to his back. Was Sakura not aware of what she was doing meant? Or was she actually trying to reciprocate Kiba's advances? Sasuke bent down to adjust his sandals. He checked his pack and grabbed the mask on his table. In the silence of the night, he went to his door. He glanced at the picture of team seven on his leaving room. His eyes directly fell on the kunoichi smiling innocently at the camera. She always had a bright smile on. Sometimes he thought that she smiled too often for him and that she gave him too much of her attention. It was inconvenient and stupid because he would never smile at her back. And he felt guilty for not being able to. Kiba always seemed to be happy to see her.

Maybe she was finally looking at somebody else now?

Sasuke decided that he didn't want to know the answer.

His noiseless footsteps take him to the village gates. He passed by houses and stalls. People were either closing up or shutting the windows, getting ready to settle down for the night.

He tentatively halts as he arrived at the park. She was standing there looking at the sky again. The calm breeze of the night was blowing her hair. And her dress looked soft and smooth as it was dancing with the wind. Coming closer, his heart suddenly stops as she caught sight of him. Her smile was immediate and lovely. He decided that he wanted to have it all to himself.

"I apologize for what Sai said a while ago." Why was she apologizing? It wasn't her fault. "We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She walked towards him and stopped a few feet away.

"What are you doing here Sakura?"

"I didn't want you to leave without anybody seeing you off" her expression looked solemn. They were standing at the exact same spot where she tried to stop him from leaving. Back then, nothing else mattered but his quest for revenge. Now, it was a steady reminder of how low he had fallen at the time. This place held too many memories, both sad and depressing.

"_Naruto is an idiot. Maybe it's because he doesn't have parents to tell him what to do." _

"_You're annoying."_

"_I love you with all my heart!"_

"_Thank you."_

Sasuke closed his eyes as various scenes played in his mind.

"I wasn't alone the last time I left." He opens his eyes. Her look of understanding told him that he didn't have to explain further. He was referring to the time he left Konoha as a genin.

She didn't say anything. Her eyes suddenly found the ground interesting. She bit her lip again.

Sasuke sighed

"I'm going to come back"

She looks at him with a surprised expression on her face. Then she swiftly smiles. Was Sakura always this beautiful? He thought to himself. In the moonlight, she was stunning. She slowly made her way closer to him.

"I want to make a new memory of this place"

He stays rooted to the spot as she stopped a few inches from him. She holds both his hands tightly and looks at him like she was determined to get her message across. Sasuke immediately knew what she wanted to say before she says it.

.

.

.

"Come home"

* * *

_"Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love. Spotlight shining it's all about us. It's oh, oh, all, about uh, uh us. And every heart in the room will melt. This is a feeling I've never felt but it's all about us."_ _– All About Us._

tbc :)

**AN: **I know, it's such a cliché, Sasuke having a dirty dream. And yes, I do make Sakura smile a lot. Hope you liked this chapter. :D

Someone asked me if this is a collaboration fic. It's not. Haha. Unfortunately, this is my first time writing a fic so I'm still experimenting on how I write various scenes. A friend of mine who doesn't read Naruto reads my fic and she gives me suggestions like to describe what people are wearing or how they are feeling :) or maybe I'm bipolar haha

Thank you so much for your reviews! I feel really happy! I have a lot of inconsistencies sometimes so I hope I'm getting my point across. :D

Sorry that my updates have become slower. I was so busy last week. :D


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